Restoration of Tai
by Jamie1597
Summary: After Taiki went missing, Rokuta has been senselessly searching for him in Hourai. He meets this girl who helps him find Taiki. The girl also happens to be a Taika and the new ruler of Tai. How will this girl deal with going to a new world and what is her connection to the previous king of Tai?
1. Arc 1: Character Introductions

**Arc 1: Character Introductions**

 **Chapters 1-8**

This arc is meant to introduce all the people who are going to be in the story. It's also meant to catch us up with the events that happened in the Twelve Kingdoms in Taiki's absence and help us get to know our main character's backstory and personality a little better.


	2. Chapter 1: Taiki Found

**Hi, I'm Jamie.**

 **This is based on the Anime called The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki/Juuni Kokki).**

 **This is only based on the anime and takes place two years after the anime timeline.**

 **The characters do not belong to me except for the main character, Natsuki. It's a spin off.**

 **This is only for fun. By no means do I claim any of this as my own work. It all goes to the original author of the light novels. Please don't sue me.**

 **Summary:** After Taiki went missing, Rokuta has been senselessly looking for him in Hourai. He meets this girl who helps him find Taiki. The girl also happens to be a Taika and the new ruler of Tai. How will this girl deal with going to a new world and what is her connection to the previous king of Tai?

 **Taiki found**

Rokuta sat on top of a light pole in the city of Japan with his hair black. He looked over the horizon and saw the sun coming up. It was dawn. The best time to look for Taiki in Hourai. He descended the pole swiftly and began walking towards the middle of the city. He planned to spend the entire day looking for Taiki.

"You've been searching all day and you still haven't found him," Enki heard his Nyoukai say.

"It's just midday. I'll find him eventually," Enki countered. And with that she went away. Enki didn't noticed that he had just walked in the middle of the street and kept moving forward.

A car honked as it was heading straight for Enki. A girl at the side of the street yelled, "Hey kid look out!"

When Enki saw the car, he was already out of the way and onto the sidewalk as the car passed by. Enki opened his eyes and saw the girl on top of him, holding him tightly, on the sidewalk. She released him soon after the car passed. She was wearing a school uniform. A blue skirt with a white sailor top. She had on black shoes and white socks and her black hair was down her back. She and Enki stood up off the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine thanks." Enki began to walk away when the girl suddenly pulled him back by the collar of his shirt. "Hey, where do you think you're going? You almost got hit by a car. What were you thinking, walking in the middle of the street like that?" she asked, not giving Rokuta a chance to respond.

"Look, I'm fine and I need to find my friend," Enki said.

Then Enki suddenly heard, "She might be able to help us find Taiki."

"Okay." The girl tilted her head when she heard Enki talk. He, then, turned to her and said, "I'm actually looking for a friend. Maybe you can help me find him."

"You know, instead of walking all around town you could've just used a phone book."

"What?"

The girl sighed heavily and said, "Come with me."

They walked across the street and into a phonebooth. "Instead of walking around all day, you should use a phone book." She grabbed the giant yellow book in the booth and flipped it open. She asked, "What is your friend's last name?" Enki placed a finger on his temple, trying to think. "I think it's Takasato... or something."

"Takasato… Takasato…" the girl repeated as flipped the page of the phone book and moved her finger down the page as her eyes scanned every page. "I found it." She ripped the page from the phone book and turned to Enki. "Come on, follow me."

They walked a few blocks in silence until the girl said, "By the way, I'm Natsuki. What is your name?"

"My name is Rokuta."

They walked toward the house at the end of the block. Rokuta stayed behind Natsuki as she walked to the steps of the house and rung the bell. They stayed there for a few moments until the door cracked open. A woman with short black hair moved in front of the door.

"Hello," Natsuki greeted and bowed slightly. "My name is Natsuki and this is my younger brother, Rokuta. We're looking for an old friend that my brother grew to liked a lot when he was younger. What was his name again, Rokuta?" Natsuki turned to Rokuta.

"His name was Kouri but that was just a nickname that I gave him," Rokuta answered.

"Oh," the woman said. "You must be talking about my son, Kaname. Please, come in and have some tea." The woman moved out of the doorway, to give them way to come in. Natsuki made Rokuta go in front of her.

As she entered behind him, she said, "Pardon for the intrusion."

Natsuki and Rokuta waited in the living room as Ms. Takasato prepared the tea in the kitchen. She finished and brought the tea on a metal tray and laid it on the small coffee table in front of them.

"Please help yourself," she said as she pointed to the tray with the two cups of tea, a teapot and multiple small plates with some cookies and other sweets, with some cream and sugar in separate pieces of the tea set.

"Thank you," Natsuki answered. She took a bite of a cookie and then took a sip of the tea.

"To be honest, I'm surprised that Kaname had any friends," said Mrs. Takasato.

When she said that Natsuki almost spit the tea out, and not because it was hot.

 _What kind of parent is surprised that their child had friends?_ Natsuki thought. She put down the tea cup back onto the tray.

"Why do you say that?" Natsu asked as she glanced at Rokuta. He had been silent since they entered the house but he had a menacing look on his face as he looked at Kaname's mother. She turned her attention back to Ms. Takasato.

"Well, after Kaname had been spirited away, strange things began to happen around him that people said he was cursed. Kaname barely had any friends in middle and high school, if any," she explained.

"You never thought that those things might have been a complete coincidence," Rokuta, finally spoke.

"They were too close to Kaname that even we, his family, became afraid of him, because every time someone got hurt, they had either bullied or scolded Kaname in some way. I thought that Kaname had been switched with another child," she answered.

In the silence, Natsuki looked around the house and saw paintings. She got up and walked over to one on the wall to more closely examine it. They looked very good but Natsu could tell, at a glance, that they were not painted by a professional artist. She looked in the corner and saw the signature.

"Did Kaname paint these?" She asked.

"Yes. He had an art class but when he did not paint things in reality, he painted things about creatures that did not exist," Ms. Takasato answered.

She looked toward the stairs, at the rows of paintings that went all the way up. "May I use your restroom, please?" Natsu asked.

"Sure. Up the stairs, the first door on your right."

"Thank you."

Natsu rushed up the stairs but passed the bathroom instead of going in. She walked passed one door until she found the one with Kaname's name on the door. She cracked the door open and looked inside the room, before she slipped in through the crack and closed the door behind her. There were multiple paintings in the room that were nothing like the landscapes that were downstairs. She took her phone out and snapped a picture of each of the paintings. She turned around and saw a large painting above the head of the bed, much more well done than the other paintings in the house. She paused for a moment, looking carefully at the painting. It had a man with white hair, combed well within a crown. He was wearing a king's attire and sitting on a throne. He had two creatures, lying at his feet. One looked like a large, red wolf while the other was a female chimera with a long white hair and looked human from the waist up while she had four leopard feet and a long, green lizard's tail. She, finally, snapped the photo and placed the phone back in her pocket. She skulked toward the door before running out of the room, closing the door, silently, behind her.

"Rokuta."

Rokuta and Ms. Takasato looked toward the stairs at Natsu.

"Let's go." She nodded toward the door. Rokuta got up and walked toward the door. He opened the door and left the house, waiting for her to come out.

"Where does Kouri go to school, now?" Natsu asked.

"He goes to Seiko Academy," Ms. Takasato said.

"Thank you very much."

She left the house and grabbed Rokuta's hand, rushing off with him toward the bus stop. They boarded the bus and headed toward Downtown, Tokyo. While on the bus, Natsuki showed the photos she took in Kaname's room, to Rokuta.

"What do you think?"

"Yes. This is definitely Kouri." Now Rokuta was certain especially because of the last photo that Natsu showed him.

They got off the bus, in front of a large white building with multiple kids in uniforms, that seemed to have been leaving school.

"Well, I guess, this is goodbye," Natsu said as she and Rokuta stood, looking at the school.

"What?" Rokuta asked. "You're not coming with me?"

"No, sorry. It's getting dark so I have to get home," Natsu responded. She raised her hand up and a taxi pulled over. She entered the cab. Right before she closed the door.

"We'll probably meet again so you can pay me back for my help another time." She closed the door and waved to him as the car pulled into the street.

"Alright, let's go," Enki said.

The moment Rokuta stepped into the school, Yokuhi, Enki's Nyoukai spoke to him from the shadows, saying, "Enki, I sense Gouran and Sanshi."

"Really?" Rokuta rushed through the hallways and stopped when he looked to see a familiar girl.

"Ah, it's you, Enki." She had short black hair and she held multiple books in her arms.

"Sugimoto," Rokuta said.

After they met, they walked around the school and talked about Kaname. Yuka Sugimoto explained to Rokuta that she found Taiki after she came back to Japan and saw him drawing images of the Twelve Kingdoms.

Kaname Takasato stood in the classroom, in front of a canvas, painting Sanshi while she and Gouran laid at his feet. Gouran then suddenly perked up. He and Sanshi left the room, when they sensed the familiar presence.

"Enki!" Sanshi called.

Rokuta turned toward the voice and saw Sanshi and Gouran standing in the bright hallway.

"Gouran, Sanshi" said Enki. He rushed over to them. He petted Gouran on the head and looked at Sanshi. "So, you've been watching over Taiki all this time?"

"Yes, but Taiki has lost his memories and only sees us as a figment of his imagination. He has no power and cannot go back to Tai on his own," Sanshi explained. Enki followed them to the room where Kaname was still standing in front of the canvas.

"Kouri," Enki called.

Kaname turned around to look at him. "It's Kaname; Kaname Takasato," Kaname answered.

"No," Enki said. "That is the name that your earth parents gave you. Your name that your master gave you is Kouri and you are the Kirin of Tai, Taiki. I am an old friend, the Kirin of En, Enki with the given name Rokuta." Enki walked closer to him. "Sanshi and Gouran have done a good job of protecting you."

Kaname looked and saw that Gouran and Sanshi were standing next to him.

"You can see them?" Kaname asked.

"Yes, I can see them," Enki said. He grabbed Taiki's head, making sure not to touch the middle of his forehead, where his horn was supposed to be. "Now, we must unseal your memories and take you back home." Enki's forehead glowed and so did Taiki's. The room was filled with sudden flash of light and Taiki's body was filled with power. His skin turned whiter and his short black hair extended, longer, down to the middle of his waist. His black eyes turned purple like the eyes of Enki.

When the glow stopped, Taiki stood up straight. "Enki."

Enki smiled and said, "Let's go back home."

"Wait," Taiki stopped him. "We must find the new ruler for Tai."

"What are you talking about?" Enki asked. "Lord Gyousou, King Tai, is dead?"

"King Tai came to this world to find his lost daughter who was blown here through a shoku. Because it is taboo for a ruler to cross the kyoukai and come to Hourai, he no longer was immortal and was killed here," Taiki explained as they walked out of the building. "When I crossed over the Kyoukai to come looking for a new Ruler, my heart wavered and I unconsciously sealed my powers and memories. Sanshi and Gouran were unaffected but the only way which I remembered my mission was through images and paintings and a sense that I was forgetting an important promise."

"Okay but how do we find this new ruler?" Enki asked.

"I do not know."


	3. Chapter 2: Unsealed Memories

**Hi, I'm Jamie.**

 **I have no idea what I'm doing because I'm new to this and I'm still learning.**

 **Like I said in the first chapter, I don't own Twelve Kingdoms. I'm only doing this for fun and all the credit goes to Fuyumi Ono.**

 **Summary:** This is the second chapter of the story which will go away from the original characters of Twelve Kingdoms. It's about the girl, Natsuki, who will become the new ruler of Tai. We will also explore her past and how she became a Taika.

 **Chapter 2: Unsealed memories**

"I'm home."

Natsuki locked the door behind her when she entered the house. She headed for the stairs.

"Natsuki, where have you been?" said her mother. The woman walked out of the kitchen, with an apron tied around her waist while holding a pan and a pair of chopsticks.

Natsu looked at her from the corner of her eyes and said, "I was helping someone...and I'm not hungry."

She marched up the steps, ignoring the woman's calls.

"Natsuki! Natsuki!"

Natsu closed the door behind her and plopped on the bed. She raised her hand over her eyes thinking about that painting she saw in Kaname's room. She felt like she knew what it meant and she had been thinking about it since she was in the cab. And that man...she felt like she knew him from somewhere.

Natsuki decided to stop worrying over it.

She got off the bed, out of the room and down the stairs into the dining room where a man and a boy sat at the table.

"Natsuki."

When the man said that, the woman quickly rushed out of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry that I lost my temper," Natsuki, apologized with a light blush on her cheeks as she looked away from the woman's face. The woman placed her hands on Natsuki's cheeks and turned her face toward her she looked straight into Natsuki's eyes.

"I know how difficult you can be, having lost your parents and been alone for most of your life," she said, "but we still love you. Depend on us because we will always be there for you."

The blush on her cheeks grew as her mother hugged her into her chest. The pink on Natsuki's cheeks grew as she closed her eyes, and fell in her mother's embrace.

"Now, go sit down and wait for you dinner. I made your favorite," said her mother after letting her out of the hug.

Natsuki nodded and walked to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from her brother.

"You're still as pink as a flamingo,"

Natsuki jumped out of her seat. "Damare (shut up), kuso gaki (you brat)," she said to her brother.

Her brother stuck his tongue out to her.

"Natsuki, Aki," their father warned, "there is no arguing at the dinner table." He then looked at Natsu. "The graduation is tomorrow. You'll be going off to college soon," her father said.

"Yeah, dad." Natsu took her chopsticks as her mother placed plates on food on the table in front of her.

"Hiroshi," she said to the man, "I'll need to go shopping for a dress."

The man gasped. "What? Another one?" He looked at his wife. "Izumi, what's wrong with the ones you already have?"

"Well it's for the graduation and I want a new one," Izumi, Natsu's mother, said.

"Ugh." Hiroshi, Natsu's father, slouched into his chair as if exhausted. "Women."

Aki and Natsu were both snickering, which turned into laughter at their parents' silly argument.

That night, when Natsu was sleeping, she left her window open for some spring breeze to enter. Even so she was sweating as she tossed and turned in her sleep as that painting of that man's face constantly flashed in her head.

"Chichi-ue (father)," she mumbled as her eyes moved continuously behind her closed eyelids.

 _There was a large, ancient Chinese mansion in the middle of a grassy field on a windy day. There was a family of three on the field and they seemed to have been having a picnic. There was a beautiful woman there who had brown hair, green eyes, and brown skin watching the man chase after the little girl, with a smile on her face. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, while she sat on the grass. She was wearing robes of pink and blue that went down, all the way to her feet. Her flowing hair was a field of golden hair ornaments and gold hairpins. She watched as the man grabbed the child from around the waist and raised her up onto the air._

" _Gyousou," the woman called. The man turned toward her. "Bring Natsuki over here." Gyousou did as his wife commanded and handed the white haired young girl to her. The girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and closed her eyes._

 _When she released her mother, she said, "Mommy, what does my name mean?"_

" _Natsuki (_ 夏輝 _)_ _is written with the character Natsu, which means summer and ki which means radiance. So, you are my summer radiance because you shine like the golden sun on a summer day," the woman answered as she placed Natsuki to sit down on her lap. Natsuki smiled._

" _What about your name?" Natsuki asked._

" _My name, Tsukishi (_ 月子 _), was written with Tsuki, meaning moon, and shi, meaning child. I am the moon child."_

 _Gyousou giggled._

 _Natsuki then turned to her father. "Father, if mother and I were to go off to a place far away; would you come looking for us?"_

 _Gyousou and his wife looked at each other. Their daughter always weird questions but they never expected this one._ _Gyousou, then, smiled as he took Natsuki under her arms, and lifted her above his head._

" _Of course, I would go to the ends of the earth to find you, because you are the two people in this world that I love the most. I promise," said Gyousou._

 _Natsuki giggled as her father swung her in the air. She was very happy that spring afternoon because as a four year old child, the question she asked was just out of curiosity. She had no idea that she would actually go someplace far, far away, beyond her father's reach._

 _That night, Gyousou and Tsukiko woke up when they felt the house shaking. They got up and went to Natsuki's room to wake her up as well. Tsukiko carried Natsuki in her arms, while Gyousou held her other hand, tightly. As they reached the front door, Natsuki looked outside._

" _Mommy, what is that?"_

 _Tsukiko looked where her small finger was pointing at the tiny circle in the sky that began to expand. She gasped._

" _Gyousou, it's a shoku. Don't open the door," she said quickly._

 _It was too late. Gyousou had already unlocked the door while the strong winds of the storm blew it away. The wind picked up and began to pull them out of the house. Tsukiko screamed. Gyousou grabbed his sword and stuck it into the ground, trying to resist the wind current, while still holding onto his wife's hand._

" _Gyousou!" she called as the winds pulled her closer to the mouth of the shoku. They held on tightly to each other. "Natsuki, don't let go of me."_

" _Mommy, daddy," Natsu cried._

" _Tsukiko, hold on!" Gyousou called._

" _I can't." Her hand began to slip from Gyousou's grasp as she desperately tried to hold onto Natsuki with the other. "Remember your promise!" Tsukiko said. Then the winds drowned her voice as she mouthed a few words to him. That was the last thing that Tsukiko said to him before her hand slipped from his and she and their daughter flew into the raging shoku._

" _Tsukiko!"_

 _Natsuki's eyes fluttered open a few moments later. She tried to move but her small body was aching and the tiniest movements caused her immense pain. She, then, heard heavy breathing and looked down to see that she was lying on her mother._

" _Mother!?" she gasped._

 _Tsukiko moved her head a little to look at Natsuki. She was bleeding from deep cuts all over her body and her eyes seemed blank. She forced a smile._

" _Good. I'm glad that you are unharmed," Tsukiko said._

 _Natsuki forced herself, through all the pain, to get off her mother and crawl beside her._

" _Mother, you're hurt."_

" _I had to protect you from the shoku," Tsukiko stuttered as she coughed up some blood._

 _Natsuki began to cry. The pain from the salt tears that stung when it hit her cuts on her face, were nothing compared to the pain she was feeling in her chest. Her chest hurt so much but she didn't know why._

" _Mother, pl-please be okay."_

" _Do-don't worry," Tsukiko assured. She raised her hand up and Natsuki took it. "Your father wi-will come to get y-you. He promised." Tsukiko began to cry as well. Her sight was slowly failing and she could no longer see Natsuki's face._

" _Mother…"_

 _With her other hand, Tsukiko reached, slowly in her hair and pulled out a golden, flower hairpin._

" _Take this," Tsukiko said. She held it until she felt Natsuki's hand, cautiously take it from her. "You have to keep it with you at all times. It will help your father know that it is you when he comes to get you."_

 _Natsuki held on tight to her mother's hand as she continued to wail. But, then, the lifeless hand slipped from her grasp. He eyes widened and her breath hitched as she watched her mother close her eyes as she took her last breath. Natsuki remained crying, in that position, beside her mother, not paying attention to the sirens that approached her._

 _When the Japanese authorities and first response got to the beach, they had to lift Natsuki away from her mother's dead body despite Natsuki's cries and constantly breaking away and reaching out toward Tsukiko as they placed her in a body bag._

 _She, carefully, watched the moving lips from the people around her, learning the language at an extremely fast pace._

 _After giving her first aid, the medic went to the cops and said, "She has unexplained cuts and bruises all over her body, just like the deceased woman. We'll take her to the hospital immediately."_

" _They must've gotten stuck in that storm, but how?" the cop said as he looked over at Natsuki and sighed as he nodded to the paramedic._

 _He made sure he came to check on her the next morning. He was called to the office of the doctor who took care of her._

" _She is very unusual. She seems to be a foreigner and does not know this country's language. There are cuts all over her body and she's lost a lot of blood. She has the rarest blood type of AB but we did have some blood to compensate for what she lost."_

" _From the research I did last night, she and the dead woman that was with her have no ID whatsoever and even if they are foreigners, there's no record of them ever coming to Japan," said the police officer. "Maybe she can explain it to us."_

" _How's she going to do that?" the doctor asked._

" _I'll bring in someone who speaks the major languages and maybe she'll be able to speak one of them."_

 _Natsuki woke up and found herself in an unfamiliar room with multiple devices lit up and attached to her body. She pulled out the needle in her arm and stood off the bed. Immediately, her feet gave out beneath her, causing her to tumble onto the cold, tiled floor of the hospital. She remained kneeling on the floor as she raised her head up, over the cabinets and counters, looking for something. She found it. As she was about to reach it, the police officer came in and pulled her off the floor._

" _Oh my gosh," he said. He placed her back on the bed, despite Natsuki's protests._

" _It's okay," he said. "We're only trying to help you." He turned toward the door. "Nurse," he called. The nurses and doctors came running into the room as the cop held Natsuki down while they hooked her back to the IV and the monitors._

 _As the people in the room talked, she only picked up a couple of syllables._

" _He-help?" Natsuki said._

 _The cop looked brightly at her, smiling as he looked at the woman behind him._

" _That's right."_

 _He watched as Natsuki's eyes trailed away from him and at the object on the cabinet, by her bed. He looked to see the gold hairpin that was shining with the light of the sun reflecting off of it. He grabbed it and handed it to her. She, quickly, snatched it from his hands and held it close to her._

" _Is it important to you?" the woman with black hair asked as she walked around the bed, to sit on the rolling chair._

" _Important," Natsuki repeated. Then she nodded. "From mother."_

" _That woman from last night was your mother?" she continued. Natsuki nodded. "I'm sorry for your lost but she…"_

" _Mother… died. I know."_

 _She, then, began to speak to Natsuki in a soft voice._

" _My name is Kaori Matsumoto. What is your name?" There was a long pause. Kaori looked at Natsuki's black eyes and saw small tears rolling down her cheeks. She stopped and waited for her to stop crying, looking to the officer in the room, not knowing how comfort her._

" _Natsuki…" she, finally, said. "Summer radiance."_

 _The woman looked back at the officer who was still writing notes in his pad._

 _"Where are you from, Natsuki?" the officer asked._

 _She glanced at him. Her eyes were empty as she looked at the strange man._

 _"Tai."_

 _"Tai?" the woman asked. "Oh, you must mean Thailand._

" _Someplace far, far away."_

 _The woman continued to look into Natsuki's eyes, trying to see what she was seeing. Her eyes looked like they weren't even in this world. She was looking out the window, over the skyscrapers, pass the sea._

" _Are you waiting for someone?" Kaori asked._

 _Natsuki nodded. "Father…"_

" _You're waiting for your father." Kaori repeated._

 _Natsuki nodded once more._

" _But why do you think he'll come for you?" Kaori asked._

" _He promised," Natsuki answered. She stopped to looking out over the sea. "I will wait… even if it is for a long, long time." She was finally able to speak the language in full sentences._

Then all of her life flashed before her eyes as she grew up. She had continued to wait for so long that she started to forget about what she was waiting for. But, she, subconsciously, did bad things in this world because, deep down, she was still waiting for her father to come to get her that she kept the hairpin with her all the time. She did everything it took to stay separate and not grow attached to anything in this world that she got into trouble with her foster parents so many times because she knew they wouldn't want to keep her. Then, she'd go back to roaming the streets and not going to school.

Natsuki was already a smart kid, a genius that she skipped school most of the time because she didn't want to be taught things that she already knew. This became a vicious cycle. Go to a foster home, leave after a few months because she was getting in trouble with authorities that her foster family would send her back, and then go back on the street to get into more trouble. That was until she was adopted by Hiroshi and Izumi.

The first night she came, she was fifteen and she decided to go to a club and got, slightly, drunk. She, then, snuck back into the house, when Izumi caught her, she smacked Natsuki across the face, and grounded her from going out, unless she was going to school, for that whole month. She was very rebellious and did everything to get back into the adoption program, but Izumi and Hiroshi never gave up on her. She spent a year in that house and then, she grew attached to her younger brother, Aki, and his mischievous nature. Because of her rebellious actions, most families would get rid of her after a few months but the Noatakas were strict with her and punished her for her actions like real parents would. During that time, she also got into the habit of shutting doors in people's faces. And now she was here. Her family loved her and she loved them back. Her brother was annoying sometimes, but that just means that they're just as close as any ordinary, blood related siblings.

Her eyes opened, frantically, as she looked around the room. _What a dream._ But it wasn't just any ordinary dream. She remembered everything now. She wasn't from this world.

Natsuki looked out her window and saw that the morning sun had already risen. There was a loud knock on her door.

"Natsuki, hurry and get up. Today is graduation day and not a day for you to oversleep," her mother yelled on the other side of the door.

Natsuki groaned. She sat up on the bed and ruffled her hair.

"Coming, mom," she answered. Her eyes widened when she said that. She had started calling Izumi and Hiroshi, mom and dad because they played their roles correctly and not because they had forced her call them such. Natsuki smiled. She got off bed but when she stood up, the sheets on the floor tripped her, causing her to fall on the hard, wooden floor, with a loud thud. "Ow."

"Make sure you don't break any bones or else you won't be able to walk on stage and make your speech," he father called from the other side of the door.

Natsuki quickly got up and swung the door open.

"Speech? What speech?" Natsuki asked. She looked at her father, with widened eyes, when she felt that angry aura coming from him. It may have been her imagination but she could've sworn that his eyes glowed red. He grabbed her head with his large hand and squeezed.

"Natsuki Naotaka, don't tell me you forgot to write the speech you're suppose to give as Valedictorian and top of your class for this graduation?" Hiroshi said.

Natsuki winced under the pressure. "Oh, that speech...of course I remembered it," she said. Her father released her head. "I just didn't write it," Natsuki added as she turned and closed the door on her father.

When Natsuki finished showering, she wore a gorgeous plum colored, ruffle chiffon dress, with a floral one shoulder strap. The dress stopped right above her knees. She, also, wore silver, open-toe, heeled sandals. She wore large diamond earrings that paired with the two diamond cuffs she wore on her right wrist.

She curled her hair and parked the top half to the left side of her head. Her white hair and red eyes she got from her father were turned to light, brown hair and and grey eyes, as a part of the shell she wore in this world.

As she played with her hair, she noticed that it was missing something. Natsuki grabbed her silver clutch from the bed and walked out of the room.

"Mom, can I have my hairpin?" She asked as she walked inside her her parents' room.

"You mean _that_ one?" her mother asked.

"Yes." Izumi reached into her jewelry box and at the very bottom pulled out the plum, floral hairpin, which had a blue butterfly in the middle of the flower and beads, hanging from it. Natsuki walked into the room. Her mother had her sit down in front of her, on the chair, in front of the mirror, as she placed the hairpin, carefully in Natsuki's hair.

"You look beautiful," Izumi said.

Natsuki smiled when Izumi placed a light kiss, on her cheek.

"So what do you think?"

The ladies turned toward the door when they heard the voice. They saw Aki and Hiroshi, standing at the door, in matching suits, standing in the same position with one hand in their pockets.

"Oh, my boys look so good," Izumi cheered.

Natsuki smiled. They were both wearing a suit. Their jackets, trousers, and waistcoat were all black, along with the necktie they both wore. Both their dress shirts were red.

Natsuki's father had the tendency of buying matching clothes for him and Aki and Aki never seemed to mind. He also had them both unbutton their suit jackets, parking the right side behind their right arm, which was in the pants pocket.

"You, actually, look half decent," Natsuki said to Aki.

"Half decent?" he scoffed. "Who are you kidding? I look better than the person who's supposed to be graduating."

A vein popped on Natsuki's forehead. _No. Today is a day to look pretty and relax. No need to get angry._ She walked passed him as she said, "That's too bad because even if you look good, everyone will be looking at me."

A limo picked them up from home and took them to the prestigious private high school that was owned by American business man. Unlike the dull, Japanese graduations where the kids had to wear their uniforms, this one had the girls wear any dress or gown they wanted and the boys wearing suits and tuxedos. The girls and boys were, each, separately, gathered in a large dressing room where they were given their graduation gowns and caps. The white gowns had big sleeves and went all the way down to their ankles that all that was seen were their shoes. Natsuki placed the red sash on, around her neck then placed the hat on her right side of her head, with the tassel parked the same way.


	4. Chapter 3: Graduation and Farewell

**Ch. 3: Graduation farewell**

Taiki and Rokuta walked around the city. Taiki had his long hair covered, to try not to attract too much attention to himself. He and Enki had spent the night trying to sense the direction of the Ouki that he sensed earlier.

"Still nothing?" Enki asked. He sighed as Taiki shook his head in response. They walked pass a school with a bunch of people going in and some were wearing graduation robes.

"What's going on?" Enki asked.

"It looks like a high school graduation," Taiki explained. Taiki walked toward the entrance of the school. Rokuta followed.

"Where are you going?" Enki asked.

"If we go into a place full of people, it may take less time for us to find a ruler." Taiki answered. "Like Shozan."

Enki nodded and followed Taiki into the building. When they entered they followed most of the people into a large hall, where multiple students sat towards the front and other people were towards the back.

"Do you sense anything?" Enki whispered.

"Yes. The Ruler of Tai is here, in this hall," Taiki answered.

They watched as someone took the microphone and spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our Valedictorian, Natsuki Naotaka."

"Naotaka?" Enki questioned. This is the first time he had heard Shouryuu's given name in Hourai. He watched as the girl walked up on stage.

"Ah, it's her," he said. He, immediately, recognized Natsuki, even though she looked prettier than the day before.

She walked onto the stage and took the plate and diploma that they gave her, then shook the guy's hand.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Natsuki said. She walked to the podium and placed the certificate and the plaque in front of her. She adjusted the mike to her height and began to speak.

"Well," she began, "I didn't prepare a speech and I even forgot that I was valedictorian until this morning. My father forced me to write something on the limo here, but I don't want to give you a half-assed speech."

The teachers behind her gasped at her use of profanity, while the students laughed. She took the notecards and ripped them to tiny pieces of paper, scattering them in the air and all over the floor.

"These past few years have been the best time of my life... so far. I made some friends, I got a great family and the best education that I could ever ask for. The teachers tried to tame me but we all know that won't happen because the rebellious me is the real me, just like the caring part of me. They all make up my personality and are all a part of me." She looked from left to right. "We all have different parts of ourselves that we cannot, yet, understand but we still have time. Someone once told me that the first few years at college are times to get to know yourself better. You get to know your likes and dislikes and bring all the parts of your personality together as one. We have had a great time here at Seijurou Private Academy thanks to all the staff here," she turned and looked at the people behind her. All her teachers and school staff smiled and nodded. "But the best time of our lives is still coming. Now, I'm not saying that college is going to be a piece of cake, but, I think we're prepared. All those nights of studying and cramming and the hours of classes were all for this moment and for the rest of our lives." She paused, taking a deep breath and looking around the room. She continued. "So, when you go to college, you not only go to study, but you also go to have fun, make new friends, and discover the different parts of yourself. The one thing I'm trying to say is to follow your hearts. If you want to be a doctor, then go be a doctor; if you want to be an animator or a manga artist then go do that. It doesn't matter how much money you make as long as you're happy." She paused again. "Although, doctors, and manga artists do make a lot of money, oh well, whatever. The Journalist Katharine Whitehorn once said _the best job is doing something you like best and finding someone who can pay you for it_ _._ " The audience laughed and Natsuki laughed as well. "The point is to do whatever you want. Go into the field that makes you happy. Of course you should try to earn some money, but you should also find a career that will cause you to dedicate your life to it, like there is nothing else you would want to do other than spend a whole day drawing or examine patients and helping people. I can't believe I'm saying this when I don't even know what I want to study in college." She sighed. This was going fine because she would never be honest about how she truly felt if she had to write it on a piece of paper and read it to everyone. It, just, wouldn't have the same effect. "The moral of this speech is to follow your heart and try to make money because that's the only way that we can live our lives to the fullest and die of old age without any regrets. Thank you!"

Everyone cheered and gave her a standing ovation. As she walked off the stage, she shook hands with all the staff that was sitting there and waved to her classmates. Natsuki was very liked by the school staff and her classmates. They liked how she was easygoing and easy to approach. She was very open-minded towards others that everyone around her felt welcomed. She was smart and there's no one else in the school they wanted as their valedictorian.

Taiki had never seen such a magnificent being. To his eyes, she glowed with a warm light around her and a halo upon her head. Unlike with Gyousou, he didn't mistake this for fear. It was absolute amazement and awe. It was her. She has to be the one to become his master.

"It's her."

Enki looked up at Taiki. "What are you talking about?"

"She is the Queen of Tai." Taiki never removed his eyes from her. As she walked back to her seat, at the end of the row.

Everyone had already received their diplomas and we in the reception room taking pictures, eating and saying goodbye.

Enki approached her.

"Hey," he said. "That was a very nice speech."

Natsuki's eyes widened. "Rokuta, what are you doing here?" she gasped.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood and saw the graduation, so I decided to come in to see," Rokuta answered. Well, he wasn't lying. "I liked your speech. You were very honest."

"Well, thank you." She pulled Rokuta away from the main crowd.

"Mom, dad..."

A man and woman turned toward her.

"This is the boy I helped yesterday. His name is Rokuta."

Her parents waved to him.

"Hello, Rokuta."

"He looks even younger than me," said Aki.

Natsuki shooed him away and turned back to Rokuta. "Were you able to find your friend?" Natsuki asked.

"Yes. In fact, he wants to meet you," Rokuta answered. He grabbed her hands taking her away from the people in the reception hall. Her family looked at each other and followed them.

Enki led Natsuki to the dressing room the girls used when they got their robes, where Taiki stood, waiting.

"Taiki," Enki called.

Natsuki looked at the pale boy that stood there, with a baseball cap on his head.

"Taiki?" she asked. She recognized that name but what did it mean? She walked deeper into the room, still following Enki.

"I have, finally, found you," Taiki said. Taiki got on his knees and lowered his head to the ground, prostrating at her feet. "I bestow the crown by the will of the heavens. I swear never to disobey your orders and I swear never to desert my post before your throne. Accept my protection and the promise of the heavens." He lifted his face to look up at her shocked expression. "You are now the Queen of Tai. Will you accept my promise and the throne that will be given to you?"

Natsuki had her mouth opened and gasping. Now she remembered. That name. He is the Kirin of Tai. A Kirin only bows down to its master and the master of a Kirin is the Ruler of the the Kirin's nation. If Taiki was bowing down to her then, that only means that she has been chosen by The Heavens to become the Queen of Tai. Was this the reason that she regained her memories of Tai from the dream she had last night? She shook her head in disbelief.

"No, I do not accept," she said. "I have been waiting for someone to come to take me back, but not like this. If you had come just a few years earlier, I would happily go with you but, now, I can't. I've already grow attached to this world. I am going to start a life here, so I can't go back." As Natsuki finished saying that, her family came into the room.

"What is going on here?" Her father asked.

"I can't leave my family," Natsuki said.

Enki and Taiki ignored her family. Taiki got up and took the cap off his head, letting his long, black hair fall.

"Do you realize what you are saying?" Taiki asked, forcefully.

"If you don't return, that means you have chosen to abandon your people and have disobeyed the will of the heavens," Enki added. "The people of Tai are already suffering without a ruler for these past seven years. If their new ruler does not want to come, Taiki will fall ill and die and soon after, you will die as well."

Natsuki bit her lip. She knew that the heavens had strict laws, especially regarding a ruler and how she treats her people. She and the Kirin will be severely punished if she does not treat her people rightfully, and abandoning them because she wants to stay in this world is a sin.

"Even so, Tai cannot continue to suffer by losing another ruler," Taiki said, seriously. "Sanshi!"

Sanshi appeared out of the shadows, behind Natsuki, with her arms around Natsuki, inhibiting her movements.

"Let go of me!" Natsuki cried.

Taiki and Sanshi ignored her. "Take her with us!" Taiki ordered. Sanshi nodded and swooped between Natsuki's legs, forcing her to sit on her back. She, then, flew through the walls, disappearing with her.

Natsuki's family had witnessed the whole thing. Her father walked toward Taiki.

"What have you done with my daughter?" He demanded.

"Gouran," Taiki called.

When the red beast appeared, the family jumped away from it, afraid.

"Bring her family along with us," Taiki ordered.

Gouran turned into a red streak, that enveloped the family, and disappeared into the floor.

The skies were already dark, with storm clouds and it began to rain. Taiki and Enki arrived at the beach, mounted upon Enki's shirei, Rikaku.

Natsuki and Sanshi, also arrived at around the same time.

"What are you doing Taiki?" Natsuki asked, loudly over the loud rain and thunder.

The thunder crashed and Natsuki winced when the lightning struck the sky.

She looked at Taiki but he ignored her. She became annoyed. He was looking out to the sea, and suddenly, in the rain, the giant storm formed in the middle of the ocean, a few meters from the shore. Natsuki backed away when she saw it. She had always been afraid of storms: normal or otherwise. She was especially afraid of the Shoku, for it was the storm that separated her family.

Taiki turned to her.

"If your family is your attachment to this world, then you have no reason to stay here if they are no longer in this world." He looked above them. "Gouran," Taiki called.

Natsuki looked above her head. Gouran had her family on his back and flew above them, diving straight into the Shoku.

"No!" Natsuki cried as her family disappeared into the depths of the ocean. She approached Taiki and grabbed onto his clothes.

"Taiki, stop this! Bring them back," Natsuki pleaded. "Fine. I'll go back with you."

Natsuki and Taiki went and mounted on Sanshi's back. When Enki mounted on Rikako, someone unexpected appeared on the Suguru Takasato, Kaname's brother appeared on the beach.

"These are the same types of monsters that appeared in my yard the night that Kaname disappeared." Without warning, a huge wave came in and swept him into the sea.

"Oh no," Enki gasped. "He'll be swept into the Shoku." Enki rode Rikako as he followed Taiki, Queen Tai, and Sanshi into the Shoku.


	5. Chapter 4: En-Ou

**Sorry everyone, but updates won't be coming in on a schedule. I try to update every time I finish a chapter but I'm a high school senior and I'm very busy with little free time.**

 **Sorry it took so long to update the new chapter but I'll try.**

 **Oh, and a big thanks to everyone for commenting on my story. It's really helpful to improve my writing and the story and really motivates me to write more.**

 **Keep on supporting me. Thank you. ;)**

 **Ch. 4: En-Ōu**

Yoko had Sonshou accompany her to En.

They arrived at a familiar inn, where Yoko met King En for the first time after arriving to the world. She stood in front of the inn, her sword strapped to her back as she walked in with Sonshou following behind her.

They were both in their casual clothes. Sonshou had advised Yoko to wear something more formal because they were going to meet the king of En, but Yoko did not comply, saying, she didn't think that King En would mind what they wore. They made their way up the stairs, following one of the workers in the inn as she led them up to King En's room, as he stayed there under the name of Fuukan.

As they entered the room, Sonshou kept her head lowered and her hands together in front of her getting ready to meet the king.

"Thank you for coming, Yoko. It's good to see you," she heard. His voice was deep like a dark pit and smooth like silk as he spoke. But as she raised her head, he did not meet the expectation she was hoping. He sat on the bed, his long hair hanging loosely over his shoulders, with his chest exposed under his loose clothing. There was a woman standing beside him with a pitcher in her hands as she poured what smelled like sake into the small cup in his hand. He looked nothing at all like she thought the prosperous king who ruled En for over five hundred years would look. He was nothing like she expected.

After the lady served him, she dismissed herself, bowing slightly to him, leaving the pitcher behind on the table. He took a sip of his sake.

"Shouryuu, this is one of my handmaidens in Kinpa Palace. Her name is Sonshou. She is my courtier," Yoko said as she gestured to the girl with the royal blue hair who was standing behind her.

Sonshou got down on her knees and bowed her head to Shouryuu, over her large sleeves. "It is a pleasure to meet you, King of En," she said.

Shouryuu got off the bed and walked to her. He took her shoulders, helping her up. He said, "There's no need to bow. I'm not king, here, in town." Sonshou stood up and smiled to him and he smiled in return. "It is also nice to meet you Sonshou: former Princess of Hou," Shouryuu, then, added. He walked over and sat on the couch against the window.

Yoko, then, followed Shouryuu and sat next to him, while Sonshou sat opposite them in another chair. "Why did you summon me here, all the way to En?" Yoko asked.

"Enki has finally found Taiki," Shouryuu answered.

Sonshou and Yoko gasped.

"Taiki, as in the Kirin of Tai that has been missing for all these years?" Yoko asked. Even though Enki went to find Taiki, who'd gone missing years ago, he had no luck finding him, but now, he was finally successful in his search for the Kirin of Tai.

"Yes. Enki has, also, informed me that King Tai has died in Hourai seven years ago. Taiki has chosen a taika as the Queen of Tai," Shouryuu explained.

"Pardon me…"

Shouryuu turned to Sonshou and she continued.

"... but is it not forbidden for a ruler to cross the Kyoukai and go to Hourai?"

"Yes, it is. But I only thought that it was for Taika because it is a part of the contract that the Kirin and the ruler agree to," Shouryuu answered.

"Yes, that's true," Yoko added. "Before I became queen, Keiki told me that I could never return to Hourai because the Heavens would see it as abandoning my people and punish me for it."

"I see." Sonshou said. "Then, you must really miss your home, at times."

Yoko remained silent.

"So what is the new Queen of Tai like?" Yoko asked.

"I don't know but I'm looking forward to meeting her. She's a Taika, but Enki told me she was born in Tai," Shouryuu said.

She felt a cold dampness on her stomach and soft mud beneath her palms. The wind was cold with a soft howl over the rustling of the leaves in the forest. As she laid there, her body felt heavier than usual and she ached as tried to get up. It was a familiar yet foreign sensation that reminded her of the tragedy that caused her to end up in another world. As she struggled to open her eyes, the events that took place in what seemed like moments before fled into her mind. After Taiki had ordered his Shirei to take her family through the shoku, she mounted Taiki. With her clinging to his black mane, they took to the sky and dived head first into the golden storm in the sea. She remembered keeping her eyes shut through the dive as she screamed and then passed out on Taiki's back.

Although her body protested, she willed her eyes open. One knee at a time, she rose off the muddy ground, her dress, now brown and the heels tight around her feet. She looked around her and saw that she was in the middle of a cherry tree grove, in full bloom like the streets and parks of Japan in the Spring with the delicate pink blossoms being swept off the branches by the wind. In the middle of the grove was a small spring running down from a large bed of rocks, forming something like a small mountain where the water flowed down the rocks into a small stream.

She looked down at her dress. She walked over to the edge of the water spring where she picked up some water - with her eyes closed - with her hands to wash her face. When she opened her eyes, again, she looked down at her hands and saw a different color. Instead of the pale skin, she saw a strange dark olive. As she dropped her head, her eyes caught small strands of white hair dangling over her shoulders. She panicked. She looked at her reflection in the water and saw someone looking back at her that was not her. It was a foreign figure that looked like a small child she once knew when she was younger and had forgotten; an identity that was taken away from her because of certain circumstances. Hair white as snow, eyes red like blood, with skin darker but with a beautiful golden hue. She quickly stood up, but the wet ground caused her to lose her balance on her heels and fall on her back. She took off her heels and stood up once more, barefooted on the muddy ground.

"Taiki," she called. "Taiki, where are you? Come out right now." She strode up toward the rocks in the grove. "Rokuta, Aki, mom, dad." She called their names repeatedly but no answer came. There was only the screeching of birds taking flight the the rustling of the leaves on the trees. "Taiki," she called once more, angrily. "Taiki, where are you? You can't have just brought be back to this world only to abandon me in this place," she said.

"I would never abandon you."

She turned around and saw Taiki standing before her, still in his all grey Japanese school uniform. She looked behind him and saw Rokuta walking toward her with her family following behind him. Natsuki gasped and quickly turned her back to them, yelling, "No! Don't look at me! I don't want you to see me like this."

"Natsuki, what's wrong?" her father asked.

Natsuki slowly turned around, fidgeting as she looked at the shocked expressions on her family members' faces.

"What happened to you?" her mother asked.

"Even your voice has changed," Aki added.

Rokuta walked closer to her. "Here, wear those." He nodded behind them. Natsuki turned to see Yokuhi standing behind them with some cloaks in her hands. Natsuki looked back at Rokuta. His long black hair had turned to bright blonde locks like the sun.

"Rokuta, you're not a normal child. What are you? _Who_ are you?"

"I am Enki, the Kirin of the Kingdom of En," Rokuta answered. "I've been looking for Taiki for years since he went missing in Hourai." He referred back to Yokuhi. "Everyone, take a cloak from Yokuhi. We'll attract too much attention to ourselves if I take you out into the streets dressed like that."

It became obvious why she felt uncomfortable as she walked through the busy streets of En barefooted, while holding a pair of heels in her hand with her hair and body completely covered under the cloak. Her shoes would have no grip on the dirt roads of En as they would in a line between all those people drawing attention from every eye on the streets and from the windows of the buildings.

Overwhelmingly enough, everything seemed so wonted to her although she had not been exposed to these things for years. With every step, she remembered the times when she and her mother would go out for walks, picking up essentials for the house on the way. She would always be skipping ahead of her, going in and looking at several shops along the street and the many stalls in the market. Whenever she went too far, her mother would call her back and tell her not to get into trouble. With the nostalgia came stinging tears streaming down her face under the cloak as she lowered her head, walking in front, hoping no one would notice her. She raised her hand to her now white hair and touched the hairpin that still sat beautifully on her head, securing a few locks of hair behind her ears.

After a few minutes talking with Yoko in the inn, a voice came from the hall calling, "Shouryuu." It was Enki.

"Speak of the devil…" Shouryuu got up and walked to the door. Enki entered and was followed by several people.

"Oh, Yoko," Enki said when he saw her.

"Good evening, Enki," Yoko greeted.

Enki looked to his left and saw Sonshou.

"Who's this?" he asked.

Sonshou bowed her head slightly behind her sleeves.

"Hello, En Taiho. I am Sonshou," she said.

Enki simply looked at her and nodded, not bothering to ask anymore.

Shouryuu stood up and walked over to the group of people who followed Enki into the room. He stood in front of Izumi. He lowered his head slightly.

Everyone in the room turned to him when they head Shouryuu say, "Oh, so this is the new Queen of Tai."

"No, that's her adopted mother," Enki said softly as punched Shouryuu lightly on the back. "And don't be rude. The other girl is Queen Tai."

Shouryuu turned to the only other girl he saw as she lowered the hood of the cloak off her head, letting her white hair fall down her back. He looked in awe. He hesitantly shortened the distance between them as he looked at her marvelous features. It had been a few years since he had seen those hair and eyes. Hair and eyes that belonged to an old friend that he would never forget, and this girl that stood in front of him looked as if she was made in his image. Her long white hair, red eyes, and olive skin would cause some to mistake her for a Kirin. He looked at the plum dress and heels that she was wearing through the slit in front of the cloak. He looked at the others, who seemed to have been wearing the same type of clothes, that Enki has told him that people wear on special occasions.

"You must've attracted a lot of attention in those clothes," Shouryuu said. He, then, looked at the young man with the long black hair and black eyes.

 _So, he finally matured._ Shouryuu immediately knew that it was Taiki who stood before him."You look all grown up, Taiki," said Shouryuu as he smiled at the young Kirin.

Taiki just nodded to him. As a Kirin, he could not bow to anyone but the ruler of his kingdom, and that was Natsuki.

"It has been a while, King En," Taiki said as he smiled.

People were talking but Natsuki's family stayed out of the conversation, unable to comprehend what was happening right in front of them.

Shouryuu, then, asked one of the ladies in the inn to get Natsuki and her family some clothes for them to wear so that they could leave the town without attracting any more unwanted attention.

After they dressed up into casual clothing, like the locals, they set out, outside of the town where Shouryuu had some of his men waiting for them, with the white and black striped tiger - the Suugu - saddled and mounted. They flew through the skies, Yoko rode with Sonshou; Shouryuu rode with Enki; Natsuki and Taiki rode together while her brother and her parents rode on a different one.

"This is so cool," Aki said as they were flying above the city.

They descended from the sky, onto the stables, platform, where everyone dismounted the Suugu.

Someone with short, greyish hair walked toward them.

As Yoko and Sonshou dismounted, they gasped. "Rakushun," said Yoko.

They handed the animals over to the stableboys and walked toward Rakushun.

"Oh, Rakushun, you came," King En said as he walked toward Rakushun, with his hand on his side, as he was being followed by Enki and the rest.

Rakushun looked behind them at the strange faces.

He asked, "Who are they?"

"Taiki, Queen Tai, and her family," Shouryuu answered.

Rakushun's mouth dropped straight to the floor (if that was possible).

It didn't take long for the blackness of the night to fall on the kingdom. Natsuki decided not to see her family, staying in her room for the rest of the afternoon. She was treated to a warm bath, by the maids and treated to nice clothes, but she refused them, saying that she just needed comfortable clothes to sleep in. When she made it to her large room, there was a small dinner on the table and she ate. She was very hungry but it had been a long time since she ate native foods of the Twelve Kingdoms. When she finished, she walked to the balcony, looking at the night sky. She looked out into the garden, where the cherry blossoms were blooming and the spring winds scattered some petals, into her room.

The wind was so nice. This was what she needed. Today had been a weird and exhausting day. She was supposed to be starting her life as a normal person looking for a job that would make her some money to live and, then, maybe find someone that she could spend the rest of her life with but, it seems that it wasn't what the heavens had in store for her.

 _The heavens, huh?_ Natsuki sighed. She, then, turned when he heard a slight knock on the door.

"Your Majesty," Taiki said through the door.

"What is it?" Natsuki asked as she walked back into the room from the balcony.

"Will you not join His Majesty, King En, for dinner?"

"No. Offer him my humblest apologies and tell him that I am very tired and wish to sleep," Natsuki said. She climbed onto the bed. "After you tell him that, you should retire, as well. You spent all night and day looking for me and have not rested since. Goodnight Taiki."

"Yes. Have a good night's sleep, Your Highness." She placed her head on the pillow, closing her eyes.


	6. Chapter 5: Shock

**Ch. 5: Shocking news**

As Taiki walked away from Natsuki's chambers, he stopped. Eyes closed, he thought back to the moment they had, each of them on either side of her bedroom door.

 _"Your Majesty," Taiki said through the door._

 _"What is it?" Natsuki asked as she walked back into the room from the balcony._

 _"Will you not join His Majesty, King En, for dinner?"_

 _"No. Offer him my humblest apologies and tell him that I am very tired and wish to sleep," Natsuki said. She climbed onto the bed. She pulled her knees to her chest as she sat in the middle of the large bed. "After you tell him that, you should retire, as well. You spent all night and day looking for me and have not rested since. Goodnight Taiki."_

 _"Yes. Have a good night's sleep, Your Highness." She placed her head on the pillow, closing her eyes._

He opened his eyes. "Gouran," Taiki said.

"Yes, Taiki?" Gouran answered from the shadows.

"I want you to stay by the Queen's side at all times," Taiki ordered. "Protect her and make sure she doesn't do anything reckless."

"Of course." Gouran disappeared.

The next morning, after taking a bath and getting dressed, Natsuki decided to walk around, where she found Enki, Shouryuu, Sonshou, Youko, and Rakushun sitting in the garden, talking around a table.

She approached them and lowered her head, slightly, in Shouryuu direction.

"I am so sorry. It was rude of me to decline your invitation to dinner last night." Natsuki apologized.

"No problem," King En said, raising his hand to stop her. "But I do hope that you can join us tonight."

Natsuki smiled. "Of course."

"Now, sit down." Shouryuu pointed to one of the empty chairs around the table. Natsuki nodded and took a seat. "So, what do you think you'll do as the Queen of Tai?"

Natsuki released a heavy sigh. "To be honest, becoming a queen wasn't really on my wish list. I just wanted to lead a boring life in Japan and get rich; I never expected to return to this side of the Kyoukai, and as a Queen, no less. I had already, completely, forgotten about this world."

Everyone looked at each other and then they looked back at her.

"What do you mean by 'return'? " Youko asked.

"Unlike most Taika - like you, King En, Enki, and Taiki - I was born in Tai, but when I was four years old, a shoku blew my mother and me to Japan. My mother died the moment we arrived. After that, by listening to what people had to say, I was able to learn the language fairly quick. That classified me as what they called a genius," she told them.

She had told them the story of how hard it had been for her to adjust to the new country and how she had been waiting for all those years.

When she finished telling the story, Shouryuu asked, "What will you do now?"

"I'll go search for my father. Gyousou Saku, the General of the Imperial Army of Tai."

Everyone gasped and their mouths hung open.

"Gyousou?" Shouryuu asked once more.

Maybe they had heard her wrong.

"Wait, but the name of the previous King of Tai, who disappeared along with Taiki; wasn't it Gyousou Saku, later known as Tai-Ou?" Rakushun asked, without a second thought.

"Eh?" Natsuki gasped. "My father was the previous King Tai?" Natsuki noticed when King En and Enki winced when Rakushun said that. She looked at Shouryuu and squinted. "You knew, didn't you?"

"I had a hunch. Your hair and eyes were like exact copies of Gyousou's. King Tai had also told me the story of how he lost his wife and daughter and your story matches but I still thought it was impossible," Shouryuu explained. "No Kirin has ever chosen blood relatives as the ruler of the same kingdom, especially not one after the other. This will, definitely, be a great surprise to the world." Shouryuu looked up at Natsuki. Her face was completely shocked. "However, Natsuki, did you know that Gyousou defied the Will of the Heavens and went to Hourai to find you?"

Shouryuu looked up at Natsuki. Her face was completely shocked. He hesitated, unsure about whether or not he should continue and tell her the whole story about what happened with Gyousou. After much thought, he opened his mouth and said, "However, Natsuki, did you know that Gyousou defied the Will of the Heavens and went to Hourai to find you?"

"What?" Her voice was below a whisper. Natsuki was so shocked that she jumped when she heard the sound of Yoko's sword.

"Huh?" Yoko gasped. "The sword only shows what's in my heart, it never shows anything on its own. It must really want to show us something."

Yoko unsheathed the sword and walked to the well, as everyone followed her. She placed the tip of the blade in the water and watched the images from the past unfold before them.

The sword stopped glowing and Yoko placed it back in the sheath.

Everyone stood speechless; not knowing what to say, especially Natsuki.

She sat there in complete silence. Her heart rate elevated. Her breathing became slow low gasps as he blood pressure skyrocketed as she tried to control her emotions. Her fingers fisted the satin of her royal dress as she looked at the table.

"So, that's what happened." Shouryuu, finally, broke the silence. "He was looking for you."

Natsuki finally found her voice, but her eyes were still dilated and wide in shock. "What is he, an idiot? I can't believe he disobeyed the Will of the Heavens because of some silly child's promise."

"That's kind of harsh, don't you think?" Enki said. "After losing you and your mother, that promise probably meant a lot to him."

"I know that!" Natsuki yelled. She lowered her voice again. "Excuse me. I think I'll go for a walk."

She bowed her head to everyone and slowly walked away from them.

"Natsu-"

"Leave her," Shouryuu told Enki.

"But..."

"She needs space right now. She just got a huge, double dose of shock and she's, literally, self-destructing on the inside, and she doesn't know how to feel," Shouryuu said. "She just figured out that the previous King Tai was her father who died because he was keeping a promise he made to her and now she has to replace him as the new Ruler of Tai. Her heart must feel like it's being torn to shreds. She needs time alone, to get to get her feelings under control."

Natsuki passed her parents and her brother, completely unaware of their presence. When Natsuki passed by, her parents grew worried. It almost looked like she wasn't paying attention to anything in her surroundings.

When they saw her, distracted and aloof, they grew worried. It almost looked like she wasn't paying attention to anything in her surroundings.

"I've never seen her like that before," Izumi said.

"We should give her some space. We have no ideas what's going on and a lot of strange things have been happening lately," Hiroshi added.

"No. I'm going talk to her," Aki said. He turned to his parents. "Nee-chan is too reckless to be left alone when she's feeling down." Aki ran after his sister, following her without her knowledge.

She came up on the square between the multiple residences in Genei Palace. She was lost. She looked around, perplexed and disoriented as she tried to find a path to some place. She didn't want to stay cooped up in one of the multiple rooms in the palace.

"Your Majesty?"

She didn't understand why a sense of dread washed over her when she heard Taiki's voice. Reluctantly, she looked up to look at his face. She walked slowly, step by step, closing the distance between them on the plaza. She looked into his deep black eyes, watching for lost memories of someone she deeply cared for. She also looked at his eyes, at her reflection, with her big red eyes and her snow white hair. She saw her father reflected in his eyes. Her lips moved, but her voice hid, unable to speak a word to him as her eyes pierced his with a deep cavern forming on her brow.

"Your Majesty, is something wrong?"

"Yo-" swallowed the lump in her throat. "You knew, didn't you?" she finally said quietly.

"Your Maje-"

"My father," she interrupted him. "You knew that I was Gyousou's daughter. You knew my father was the previous king of Tai," she said as she raised her voice.

"Yes. I did know that His Majesty was your father, but I didn't choose you because of that," Taiki defended.

"I know that," she said. "Even you can't do that. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it was you. You're the one who opened the shoku to japan for my father. Why would you do that? And how did he find me at that exact location?"

"The hairpin your mother gave you belonged to the king before Lord Gyousou. It was a gift. Before you and your mother disappeared, he had her place an enchantment placed on the pin to be able to find you wherever you may be. It must have been because of your promise," Taiki explained.

"Why did he take it so seriously?" she whispered as her eyes fell downcast. "It was simply a child's promise. I didn't really mean it." Her eyes stung, slowly turning red as she tried to stop the flood that was deluging in her eyes.

"You and your mother were King Gyousou's most beloved and after he became king, he did all he could to find you. When he did, he had me open a meishoku to Hourai. We planned everything however, I didn't know that a non-taika ruler could lose their immortality for crossing the Kyoukai. His Majesty died there."

"I know that. I remember everything. It's my fault my father died. He died right in front of me," she said as she sobbed. She raised her head to look at Taiki. "Why didn't you stop him? It's your job to stop him from making stupid decisions. You should've told him to focus on ruling his people and Tai wouldn't have suffered for the past seven years. Why didn't he just abandon me?"

Taiki's brow furrowed when she said that. He remembered how depressed the king used to be when he would miss his daughter and wife. Taiki always felt helpless because there was nothing he could do to relieve the king's pain. The king was faithful and determined to find his family and it was unacceptable for the daughter he died for to say he should've abandoned her.

"King Gyousou did everything for you. Your Majesty, please do not blaspheme His Majesty's sacrifice. He did it all for you," Taiki said.

Natsuki's cried grew louder. She sniffled and wept as she tried to find her voice and stop her tears from falling. "You think I don't know that?" she yelled. "I was there. I saw him die in front of me. In a rain of bullets by the Yakuza because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He shielded me and died on top of me. I tried to suppress those memories so much but when you awakened, they just came flooding back."

Taiki reached out to touch her shoulders but she took a step back. "My father died for me. He was a king. He left his people for me gave his life for me. Now, I'm supposed to replace him. I'm the one who killed him." Her cries slowly became a wry and disturbing laughter. "The heavens; they're punishing me. Punish the child for the sins of the parents. They're punishing me because my and my father's selfishness caused many people of Tai to suffer. And I'm the one who killed him so I'll have to pay for it." She broke down in tears. Her eyes grew puffy from all the crying as the light blush on her cheeks slowly washed off.

"Your Majesty, please calm yourself," he said. Taiki took a step toward her, slowly reaching his hand to touch her shoulder again but she took another step back, out of his reach.

Natsuki took another step. And another step. She turned around holding the end of her dress and ran away from the plaza.

Aki ripped a piece of fabric from his clothes after he had found Natsuki. He went to find the closest body of water- the pond in the middle of the garden -and dipped it in, wetting it completely. He walked back to where he found his elder sister crouching against a tall balcony that overlooked the ocean above the sky. He walked toward her slowly, trying not to frighten her, as she held her knees tightly to her chest, her face buried between them as she sniffled. He kneeled beside her, slowly touching her head, forcing her to look up at him.

"You should cry, especially if you're wearing makeup," he said. He kept her head up, holding her chin in his hand. "Once you stop, the leftover makeup will dry and they'll cake on your face, making you look ugly. If you leave it on, your skin will go bad and you'll get wrinkles." He took the wet fabric from earlier and passed it gently and carefully over her face. He passed the fabric on her cheeks, below and above her eyes. He passed it on her forehead, down the bridge of her nose, and above and below her lips. He was careful not to use too much force as he wiped her face clean of all the dried makeup. He placed the fabric down beside him and sat next to her, his feet lying straight on the floor. He took her face in his hand, looking closely at her eyes. The iris of her eyes had turned to a beautiful crimson after they came to this world, but all the crying had turned her ciliary body into the same color.

"You cried so much today," he said. "Your eyes are puffy and swollen. Frankly put, you look like shit," he remarked.

She simply blinked. He gave him no sign of retort or flaring anger behind her eyes. It was simply a deep dark pit of nothingness.

She, just, smiled sadly. "That's exactly how I feel," she answered.

"Well, it's no fun if you don't give some smartass retort," Aki said. Aki sat back, letting go of her face. "You never like talking shit when you're depressed. What's wrong?" Aki asked.

"It's nothing," she answered, shaking her head.

Aki looked at her expressionless face. "Is it because of your father?" When he said that, he saw a slight twitch in her body and she swallowed. He wasn't sure if she realized the involuntary reaction but it disappeared a moment later. "Is it about you being queen?"

"So you heard."

"Why are you sad when you're going to become the most powerful person in a country?" Aki asked. "What happened to your father wasn't your fault. all parents would sacrifice themselves for their children."

"Aki, I don't..."

"Lean on me," he said. He took her head lightly, guiding her body on the floor, letting her head rest on his thighs

"You may be older than me by five years, but I'm more mature than you. If you need something, I'll always be there to help you," Aki said.

Natsuki looked up at him, her head on his lap, amazed by his seriousness. She looked at him and he looked back at her. Natsuki couldn't help it that she began to tremble and broke down into tears. She grabbed onto Aki's robes and wept loudly, turning to his chest of she cried. Aki sat there, gently patting her head without saying a word as slid down and sat on the ground with her, to better support her wild crying.

Aki sat there, gently patting her head without saying a word, letting her cry to her heart's content. His sister was someone who held herself back a lot, suppressing her emotions and not letting herself feel as to not seem weak in front of others.

When Natsuki crying subsided, she rested her head on Aki's lap, silently lying there until she found something to say.

She, finally spoke, "When a person becomes Queen, life is hardest for her, especially a Kingdom like Tai."

"Why?" Aki asked. "I feel like because you're the Queen, then you can do whatever you want?"

"You can do whatever you want but if you stray from the right path and start to obstruct your people, then the Heavens will punish you," Natsuki answered. She paused and took a big breath. "My father disobeyed the Heavens and paid for it with his life. And now, I'm the new Queen of Tai."

"But didn't you expect that? I mean, you are his daughter, so why wouldn't you be his successor?"

"It doesn't work like that in this world." Natsuki shook her head. "Taiki and Enki are divine beasts- holy creatures -called Kirin. They receive something called an Ouki from the Heavens that they sense when they meet their ruler. Kings and Queens are just random people who get selected by the Kirin to rule the nation because the gods believe they are classified to do so. When a person becomes a ruler, they're granted eternal life so that the kingdom can flourish under the same rule forever."

"Eternal life?" Aki said.

"That's right," Natsuki continued. "King En, Shouryuu, has been king for the past 500 years because he and the Kirin become immortals when he is crowned. And the girl with the red hair, Yoko, became queen two years ago when she was 16. So we're technically the same age."

"Five hundred years?"

"But if the ruler becomes ruthless, they will have failed the Heavens mission and will be punished. The Kirin will get sick and then if the Kirin dies, the ruler will die soon after," Natsuki explained. "But if the ruler dies before the Kirin, the Kirin lives and has to find a new ruler. My father, Taiki, and I are examples of this."

"So your father did something to make the gods of this world angry," Aki said.

"Yeah," Natsuki replied. "Taiki chose my father as the King of Tai but he disobeyed the rules of the Heavens when he crossed the Kyoukai in order to find me. He died there. Seven years later, Taiki brings me back so that I can be Queen Tai."

"That's not really fair," Aki said. "If you don't want to be queen, they shouldn't force you."

"No one cares about the ruler or their opinion on the matter. The were chosen and that is final," Natsuki said. "There's nothing that can be said or debated about the laws of this world. The strictest laws in this world mostly apply to the rulers. You can't do whatever you want without being prepared to face the consequences. That's why I don't want to be a ruler," Natsu said. She stood up. "But now that Taiki has chosen me, I can't run away. I have to become Queen Tai."

"I would love to see how you look as a queen and would love to see you rule millions of people justly. I know that you'll make a great queen," Aki said. He paused. "And... I'd probably be a prince, who'd have his own servants. So become a Queen so that I can do whatever I want."

Natsuki laughed for the first time that day. "It's too bad for you because the ruler's family have no authority whatsoever."

"What?" Aki gasped. He sighed in disappointment but then smiled. "You're feeling better, aren't you?" Aki said.

"Yep. After all that crying, I really do feel refreshed. ...Damn... I feel like shit!" Natsuki blurted out.

Aki laughed.

"I can't believe I cried and you comforted me," Natsu said. She walked away. She stopped and turned to him. "Thanks, little brother. Continue being my pillow for awhile longer." Natsuki took a deep breath, putting her body into a comfortable position before she closed her eyes.

Aki smiled.

The passing wind brought to him the scent of sea salt and the sound of waves crashing against each other and the outer walls of the palace. It made him think about how unbelievable it was that there was an ocean above the clouds, above the cities of the kingdom. Another thing that was unbelievable was how the palace walls were not already corroded by the sea. But, scientific reasoning is probably the one thing that doesn't make sense in a world of gods and monsters and immortals.

"Father."

He looked down at his elder sister when he heard her speak softly in her sleep. She was breathing so evenly as she slept peacefully. He was glad he could help her. She always kept to herself, especially when she was troubled. It took him a while to figure her out but he knew that the only reason she never cried was because she didn't feel like anyone could understand her pain and comfort her. He was glad that she finally opened up to him.

But... what was he supposed to do now? His legs were starting to cramp and he couldn't possibly carry her to her bedroom. he sighed and let his head fall back against the wall. But then he heard some voices in the distance, coming from the area near the garden.

"Her Majesty, couldn't possibly have gone far."

He saw Taiki, Enki, and King En walking across from them.

"Excuse me," Aki called.

When they arrived, they saw Natsuki sleeping with her head on his lap and the rest of her body splayed on the hard ground in a bright red dress.

"This is where she was. Thank goodness," Taiki said.

"Can you help me? I can't lift her and carry her back to her room," Aki said.

Shouryuu smiled lightly at Aki. "You must be Aki," he said. He looked down at Natsuki on his lap. "She looks at ease now. We were worried so I had the servants in the palace search for her."

"I'll go get someone," Enki said as he walked away.

"Thank you, King En," Aki and Taiki said.

Natsuki turned in her sleep on the comfortable mattress with her dress blending perfectly into the red comforters on the bed. She breathed heavily as he eyes slowly opened to find herself back in her quarters in King En's palace. She got up and walked to the terrace. She looked up at the sky and the position of the sun and determined that it was just passed noon. But she wasn't sure if it was the same day or a different day.

She changed into a light pink kimono top, that was decorated with embroidered cherry blossom petals. The rim of the dress was gold, like the sash that was tied around her waist. The top stopped right at her mid-calves and she wore a pair of white pants and black slippers. She took a pink elastic hair band and tied her white hair up in a ponytail. She left two side strands of hair down, that reached right on top of each of her breast.

She ran out of the room to the to the garden to find Enki sitting Shouryuu around the outside of the palace by the pond.

They looked up when they heard light footsteps approaching.

She bowed slightly to them.

"You seem to be feeling better," Shouryuu said, as he placed his hands in the sleeves of his large royal robes.

"Yes I am; thank you," said Natsuki. "But, how long was I asleep?"

"It's been no longer than four hours," Shouryuu answered.

Natsuki nodded. "Thank you." She looked back toward Enki. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It's okay," Enki said.

"I need to ask you something," Natsuki said. "I want to know where you had taken Taiki's brother."

"Taiki's brother?" Enki asked as he lowered his hands from behind his head.

"Yes. The boy that was being swept into the Shoku was Taiki's brother. I could tell from the pictures I saw at the house," Natsuki replied. "I know that you saved him because, as a Kirin, it is in your nature. Where is he?"

Enki looked at her and sighed. He jumped up and sat on the railing.

"Why do you want to know?" he said. He looked at Natsuki but she did not answer. He groaned. "I had him taken to the town of Houryou, where a Kaikyaku lives in a shrine. His name is Heki."

"Thank you," Natsuki said. She turned around to walk away but stopped when Shouryuu said, "What will you do when you find him. You can't be so bored that you'd take such a long trip for nothing."

Natsuki turned around to face Shouryuu. "His Majesty, King En, must also be bored with nothing to do if the only thing he does is sit in his palace garden all day."

Shouryuu decided to change the subject because of her smart retort and the piercing glares he was receiving from Enki. "Taiki will worry," he said.

"How are you going to get there?" Enki replied.

"I'm sure that Gouran would be more than happy to take me," Natsuki said. She shifted her head slightly, looking over her shoulder. "Right, Gouran?"

Enki dropped down from the railing and stepped beside her as Gouran manifested, from the shadows, before them.

"The Taiho told me to watch over and protect you..."

"And in order for you to do that, you have to go wherever I go," she said. She walked around Gouran, turning away from the garden. "Come."


	7. Chapter 6:Those Who Can Those Who Can't

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twelve Kingdoms so please don't sue me. I'm just a big fan who likes to write stories**

 **Hi everyone, sorry for the delay but the next chapter is here. Thank you so much for all of your support**

 **Have Fun!**

 **Ch. 6: Those who can and those who can't**

"Where are you going, all dressed up?" Shouryuu called after her. She bowed slightly and walked past them.

"To declare war," Natsuki answered. She mounted the red beast right there in the garden and they flew off into the sky.

As they flew a great distance from Genei palace, both remained silent.

"May I ask why you are going to the town of Houryou to find the Taiho's younger brother?" Gouran asked as he looked at her through the hood of his eyes.

"He is still Taiki's brother, so therefore that makes him one of my citizens," she replied. She held onto the fur of Gouran's neck. "I believe his name is Suguru. He really hates Kouri because of the type of child he was. Kirin have the hardest times in the other world because people cannot understand their nature, of being unable to bow before anyone but their masters."

"You speak as if you knew Taiki and his brother before," Gouran said.

"Yes. I only remembered it the night Taiki awakened. When I was younger and first came to Hourai, the first family that adopted me were friends of Taiki's family. I went to play once and I scrapped my knee and bled. Taiki became sick with a very high fever," she explained to Gouran as she watched the towns pass by below them. "I realized what he was but I didn't think he did so I stayed away from him. Taiki and I went to the same school, so I watched out for him when he was being bullied by other kids. But beating other kids up all the time for Taiki got me expelled from school and I never saw him again." She then chuckled. "I also beat up Suguru once but Taiki came to his defense. He wanted to protect the little brother who hated him." She looked down at Gouran. "Strange, right."

"I see."

As they came to the edge of the town, they descended to the ground. Gouran stayed in Natsu's shadow as she walked into the town, looking for the was starting to get tired and hungry since she had not eaten anything that day. As she made her way to the center of the town, she entered a small restaurant and bought some noodles to eat. The clattering of cooking equipment caused her ears to perk in the direction of the multiple people in the tents beside the long wall. They sat around the fire, eating together but it seemed the food was not enough for them for they were no more than skin and bones.

She continued to eat her noodles, but as one of the restaurant workers passed by she called, "Excuse me."

"Yes." He stopped and stood by her table.

"Who are those people over there?" Natsuki asked.

The man looked over at the tents. "Oh, those are refugees. Some are from Tai, others from Kou," the man answered.

Natsuki raised her eyebrow. "I can understand Tai but Kou is closer to Kei. Why would the refugees skip Kei and come to En?"

"The Queen of Kei is still new and does not know how to handle the refugees properly, so they come here, to En," said the man. "Although En is better than Kei, it's still not enough."

"Well, I can understand that," Natsuki said. "Though En is a prosperous kingdom, the king can't afford to spend all his wealth on the refugees."

"Yes." The man agreed. He sat across from her. "Of all the countries that do not have a ruler, Tai is the worst right now. I am, also, a refugee from Tai and I lost my family in a Shoku."

As Natsuki watched him, she could see the sadness in his eyes as he spoke about his family. His eyes resembled hers in the past when she would miss her mother and father.

The man continued, "After Taiki's ranka disappeared from Mt. Hou, the people of Tai spent 10 years in hell but when the new King came, he ruled only for a year, barely enough time to change the situation before he and Taiki disappeared again. The people of Tai have been suffering for the past seven years."

Natsuki took some noodles in her chopsticks and slurped them as she listened.

"Both Taiki and King Tai abandoned us," the man continued.

Natsuki felt a tinge of anger when he spoke with such a hostile tone toward her father. She couldn't help but feel his hatred should have been focused toward her instead of her father but she could understand why he feels angry. He, also, does not know the circumstances for why Taiki and the king had disappeared.

They stayed silent for a while and the man suddenly perked up after realizing he was fuming. "I'm sorry. I lost my temper," the man said.

"It is alright but I may have some news that will ease your hatred," Natsuki said.

The man looked at her and leaned in. The man asked, "What kind of news?"

Natsuki lifted the bowl to her lips, to finish drinking the ramen soup, then placed the empty bowl back down on the table. She looked at the man silently, drawing out the moment. "I come from the capital city of Kankyuu in Sei Province and heard that Enki found Taiki in Hourai," Natsuki said. "The Tai Taiho has returned and should still be in King En's palace."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have a friend working in the Royal Palace that told me that Taiki will be leaving for Mt. Hou soon and will probably choose a ruler during the Summer Solstice." She wasn't lying. She was still unsure about becoming the Queen of Tai and she wanted to make sure Taiki was right. She couldn't deny that Kirin could not bow to anyone but their master - and Taiki had bowed to her - she still felt it may be because of the blood of her father running through her.

Natsuki stood up and placed the money for the ramen by the bowl.

"I, personally, think that it's great news - as a citizen of Tai - you should take the Shozan to see if you will be the next king. The people of Tai need someone who understands their struggles as their ruler; they don't need a Taika. They need people like you," she said.

She walked out of the restaurant, leaving the man gasping with great joy.

Natsuki made it to the shrine where she saw the Riboku. She walked to the gate and knocked on it.

"Hello, I'm looking for a man named Heki," Natsuki called loudly.

The gate opened and she saw an old man. He wasn't that old but he had gray hair and was definitely over fifty. Heki allowed her in and they began speaking Japanese.

"So, you are a Taika?" Natsuki walked beside him, deeper into the yard.

"Yes. When I came back to this world, I was, immediately, able to remember my life here and could speak the language fluently."

"It would seem true because if you were just an ordinary Kaikyaku, your hair and eyes color would not have changed. You remind me of another Taika who came to me once two years ago. I wonder how she's doing now," Heki said in recollection. "So what brings you here?"

"I'm looking for a young boy? There seems to have been a Shoku a while ago and a Kaikyaku was washed here with it," Natsuki explained.

She looked around and saw multiple children playing. She, then, looked over, in a corner and saw the fifteen-year-old teenage boy, sitting on the steps.

"That's him," she said and pointed to Suguru.

Suguru looked and saw the girl walking over to him. He squirmed a little, almost like a turtle trying to retract into his shell.

Natsuki chuckled. "No need to be afraid, Suguru."

When he heard her say his name, he got up and walked closer to her.

"You know my name? Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh, you don't remember me," Natsuki said as she sat on the steps where he was sitting. "Natsuki Naotaka; the girl who used to bully you in elementary school and stopped when the brother you hate so much came to your rescue."

"You," Suguru said. "What happened to you? Why do you look so different from before? How did you get to this world?"

Natsuki remained seated with her leg crossed over her thigh as while Suguru remained standing. "Believe it or not, I came with you." She looked at his face, more puzzled than anything as he looked at her. It seems even after all those years he didn't get much smarter. "Sit down, Suguru. I have a long story to tell you," Natsu replied.

When she finished, Suguru stood up, angry and looked down at her.

"You and Kaname are one of those monsters, too," he said.

"Well, I'm not a monster," Matsuki said. "Taiki's not a monster either." She cocked her head wittily, "Well, between him and I, he most resembles a monster."

Suguru ignores her rebuttal as anger and rage overtook him. "You bring us to this unknown world and watch from the shadows as we suffer," Suguru barked.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You shouldn't be bad mouthing the brother that used to protect you," Natsuki said.

"This world is twisted and should not exist. It is hell for the weak," Suguru said.

"I have no idea what you're saying but since I haven't been here for long, I can't exactly say you're wrong."

"Shut up," Suguru yelled.

Natsuki looked up at him and furrowed her brow. The way he was looking down at her made her sick.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" she said, coldly yet softly.

Suguru suddenly stopped when he heard the bitterness in her voice.

Natsuki's told and kicked him on the side of his knee. He yelped in pain and grabbed his leg, kneeling to the ground on his good knee. Natsuki stood and towered over him, her red eyes gleaming like a beast's as she watched him trowel on the ground.

"That's right. You should get on your hands and knees before me. Who do you think you are to talk and look down upon the Queen of Tai?"

Suguru looked up at her. He was, immediately, intimidated by her red eyes as she looked at him through hooded lids.

"He protected you, yet you resent him," Natsuki said. "And you dare to call the people in the land of my birth _monsters_? Do you think you'd survive that storm if it wasn't for that _monster's_ kindness? You would've been eaten alive I. The woods if it weren't for those _monsters_."

Natsuki kicked him in the chest, causing Suguru to fall on his back on the rocky ground. He groaned when she stepped on his chest, pressing her foot down on his breastbone.

"If you hate Taiki and me so much, then in the summer, when you hear that the Tai Taiho and Queen Tai have returned, come to Tai," Natsuki said.

She searched through the inner breast pockets of her kimono and took out a sack of money and dropped it on the floor, by his head.

She continued, "Take a ship to Tai, along with the refugees, and try to say that again to my face and see what happens."

Natsuki took her foot off of his chest and looked at him before she scoffed and walked out, leaving silently through the gates.

When Natsuki walked by the campsite again, where the refugees reside, and listened to them talking about Taiki and the fact that he was back meant that they could return home. They were joyous and happy. It seemed that the man she had told about Taiki was talking to the people and telling them that he would go to Shozan during the Summer Solstice to see if he could be the next king and they were cheering him on. But she began to feel remorse for that man because it would be a wasted trip to go to Mt. Hou. The queen had already been chosen by Taiki and, no matter what, that fact would never change.

Natsuki smiled and passed by silently, not attracting any unwanted attention to herself. She walked for a few hours to the next town.

As she was passing by she saw a vendor selling sweets and decided to buy a dozen bread cakes. She has always had a sweet tooth and could never resist the urge of eating snacks.

"May I have a dozen bread cakes please?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," said the lady. The lady vendor placed them in a box for her and told her the price.

Natsuki searched through her breast pocket and took out the money.

"I really shouldn't have given that idiot all of my money," she said. She handed the lady some money and the lady gave her back her change.

"Thank you," Natsuki said and took the box of cakes and walked away.

"Thank you," The lady vendor called after her. When she was outside of the town, she sat down and opened the box.

Gouran appeared before her.

"Are we going back to Genei Palace?" Gouran asked.

Natsuki took a bite of the cake in her hand and moaned longingly at the soothing and sweet taste of the small cake.

It had a piece of chocolate in the center of a very creamy sweet filling with the bread wrapped around it and some icing layered the outside of the cake.

"Yeah," Natsuki finally answered. She finished eating the first on and licked the icing off her fingers. She took another one and offered it to Gouran.

"Do you want one?"

Gouran sniffed the foreign food before taking it into his mouth out of her hand.

"Do you like it?"

Gouran finished chewing and spoke. "It's very sweet. You'll get sick if you eat too many of them."

Natsuki laughed.

Gouran walked to beside her and laid on the ground, his head resting on his front paws. He perked up when he heard something coming their way. He turned and saw the small, dog with the short, beige coat, standing and shaking as it approached them.

Natsuki noticed Gouran paying attention to something else. She looked where Gouran is looking and saw the small dog.

"Aw, it looks so scared," Natsuki said. She looked at the dog and walked closer to it. She took one of the cakes out and stood a certain distance from the dog. The dog, carefully, approached her and sniffed the cake before taking it out of her hand and eating it.

"You like sweets, too," she said.

When the dog finished chewing, it jumped on her and licked her face. Natsuki laughed. "You must have been really hungry. Let's have some more," she said.

She distributed them between herself, Gouran, and the dog.

"Oh, I forgot that dogs weren't supposed to eat chocolate." She shrugged. "Oh, well." Natsuki got up and tapped the dirt off her pants. "Let's go, Gouran."

Gouran got off the ground and followed her.

The dog looked as they were walking away and whimpered. He, quickly, chased after them, stopping Natsuki by biting the leg of her pants. She turned to look at him and looked at his pleading eyes. She bent down and stroked the dog's fur.

"What's wrong, boy? Don't you have an owner to go back to?" Natsuki asked.

The dog yielded to the warmth of her palm as she picked him up.

"Do you want to come with me?" She asked as she held him against her chest.

The dog barked and nuzzled at the crook of her neck. He reached up and licked her face.

"Alright, you can come with me." Natsuki looked at the dog with kind eyes.

"Your highness…" Gouran said.

"I was also a stray who was picked up, off the street," she said softly, her eyes downcast. She turned to Gouran and smiled. "Let's go back, Gouran."

 **And Voila!**

 **This arc is almost over since it was only to set up everything and how Taiki and Natsuki were getting used to being back in the Twelve Kingdoms. Each Arc is 8 chapters long so I'll try my best to stay consistent**

 **Look forward to the next chapter. Au Revoir!**


	8. Chapter 7: Dinner

**Hi, It's Reina and I'm back.**

 **I wrote an entire chapter yesterday and I was feeling especially happy so I decided to upload earlier than I usually do. As always, thank you for all your support. Happy reading.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Twelve Kingdoms. I'm only doing this for fun because I really like the story.**

 **Ch. 7: Dinner**

When they dropped from the sky, at the gates of Genei Palace, Natsuki found Aki with a maid, waiting for them. She dismounted Gouran's back and walked toward her brother to the mouth of the open gate. Gouran followed her as she held the dog in her hands.

"Natsu, where'd you get the dog?" Aki asked.

"He's a stray who didn't want to leave my side," Natsu answered and handed the dog to Aki. "Here, for you."

"You're giving him to me?" Aki asked as took the dog into his arms. The dog barked and licked his face.

"I think he likes you." Natsu smiled. She reached out and pet the dog's head. "I named him Kitsu as in Kitsune. Take care of him for me, little brother." Natsuki finished and walked away with Gouran, leaving the dog in Aki's hands.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do with him?" Aki called. "I don't know how to take care of a dog in this world." He looked down at the dog who was wagging his tail in his arms. "What are you supposed to eat? Do they even have dog food here?"

The maid walked up to him. "My Lord," she bowed, "I can take care of the dog for you if you wish."

He handed her the dog. "Yes, please. Bathe him and feed him and then bring him to my room," Aki instructed.

The maid raised her head. "Yes, sir."

That night, Natsuki and Taiki walked to the dining room where King En, Enki, Queen Kei, Sonshou, and Rakushun were waiting.

"Good Evening," she greeted, with her head bowed slightly.

"Natsuki," Shouryuu said. "Take a seat." He motioned to the chairs beside him. Natsuki nodded and sat down. Taiki did the same. Natsu placed her hands flat on her lap with the best etiquette she could manage which she learned from watching Chinese period dramas.

"How old are you, Natsuki?" Youko asked.

"I just turned 18 and I graduated high school yesterday," Natsuki replied. "That's how Taiki and Enki found me."

"I never got to my graduation, but I feel like even if I did, it would feel like an achievement to please my parents instead of something for myself," Yoko said.

Shouryuu, Enki, and Rakushun nodded. "But you have grown over her past two years, Yoko. You even prevented a civil war and brought peace to a province." Shouryuu added, "You're no longer trying to please people but now, you're doing things that are right for Kei because you know it's right."

Natsuki nodded in agreement. "I can tell that you're the type of girl who does things because you're trying to please someone, but me, I'm your exact opposite," Natsuki said. "I never did anything to please anyone. I got in trouble with the law and my foster parents. I blasphemed whenever and wherever I wanted." Natsuki looked at Youko. "It's probably because of the environment you grew up in. Most households in Japan are very traditional. can also tell that you're a girl who grew up in a traditional and strict Japanese family. You don't seem like the type who flaunt her beauty even though you've got a great bust." She smiled and lowered her eyes to look at Youko's chest. Yoko quickly hid her breasts behind her hands

Rakushun, then, spoke up, "I've always wanted to know something."

Natsuki nodded as she raised the cup of tea to her lips.

Rakushun continued, "How is a child born from a woman's stomach, in Hourai?"

Natsuki choked on the small sip of tea and coughed softly. She put down the cup and wiped her lips with the napkin on the table. Natsuki looked at Yoko.

"You never explained it to him," Natsuki said.

"I didn't think I needed to," Yoko answered.

Natsuki nodded and cleared her throat. "Well, to answer your question, children are not born from a woman's stomach."

"They're not?" Rakushun asked.

"Now that we have better medical knowledge than 500 years ago, when you were around," Natsuki looked at Shouryuu, "we know the average structure of a person's body." Natsuki turned back to Rakushun. "In this world, a married couple ties a ribbon to a Riboku and constantly pray to the heavens to bear them a child, then they pluck the children a fruit. But, in the other world, when the child is conceived, it lives and grows in the mother's womb, called the Uterus, in the lower part of the abdomen for ten months. Since the child is inside her, everything the mother does will affect the child, including the food she eats and her physical activities. When the ten months are over, it means that the child has grown enough to survive without being inside the mother. The baby is removed from the woman's womb by a doctor. The process is extremely painful and can cause death to the child or the mother or both."

"Wow, that's very interesting. There should be a book about things and sciences from Hourai," Rakushun said.

"That's actually a good thing we should consider," Shouryuu said. He looked at Yoko and Natsuki who nodded in agreement. "It would be a great way to advance the current medical practices and technology by learning about Hourai. Yoko and Queen Tai can be great contributors." There were a few moments of silence around the table before Natsuki spoke.

"So, my… predecessors, what should I do to rule my kingdom justly?" Natsuki asked, hoping to change the topic. She turned to Yoko and Shouryuu.

Shouryuu was the first to answer. "You must act like a ruler. You must be arrogant that people will not disobey you when you give an order but not so arrogant that you cannot keep anyone on your side. Make allies that you know will accept you and all your personality and will follow you without a doubt no matter what decisions that you make."

Then, Yoko came into the conversation. "Although I've only been ruling Kei for just two years, a lot has happened that I learned that you must not jump to conclusions or make any rash decisions. You must also learn to listen to your ministers because they know more about the kingdom than you do but you must also be cautious to their words and make your own decisions."

Natsuki nodded. "I understand what all of you are saying but I will not try to please the ministers. They do have things to teach me about Tai but I could care less about what they think of me and my character."

Taiki looked at her. "Your Highness, it's your responsibility to please the ministers and the people. You must try to get along with them."

"Completely untrue," Natsuki replied looking at Taiki in the corner of her eyes, who was sitting to her right around the round table. "My responsibility is to help the people and make sure they live good and happy lives. The ministers, on the other hand, work for me. They must follow _my_ orders. Of course, some of them won't want to do such a thing and some will even go as far as to try to remove me from my throne but they should also be prepared to pay the price for raising their swords against me." She placed her hands under her chin. "Throughout history, many philosophers have given their views on government. The ones I truly agree with says the relationship between a ruler and the people is a social contract. I am here to create laws and lead Tai to a brighter future while the people obey me and relinquish part of their freedom to me. If I am an unfit ruler, they have the right to revolt, however, if they cause problems without a purpose, I have the right to punish them. That is my philosophy."

Shouryuu looked at her and smiled. "You are very perceptive and you adapt to situations easily. You're also not afraid to speak your mind. Those are all good qualities that a ruler must have. That arrogant attitude of yours will get you absolutely attract enemies to you but I'm sure you'll be able to handle it," Shouryuu said. "You are determined and have an aura of confidence which will attract allies to you as well. You don't falter in your words when you speak which makes it hard for people not to believe that you mean what you say. So, I'm fairly certain you'll have nothing to worry about when you become queen." Shouryuu laughed. He looked straight at Natsuki and she looked back at him, smiling.

"I think that was a compliment. Thank you," Natsuki said.

Natsuki turned to Yoko.

Yoko said, "I think that it's good that you have an unwavering determination. It makes you less likely to be tricked by certain people." Yoko continued, "When I first came here and was crowned Queen, I wish I was like that because then, I would have been able to prevent certain things from happening so early on in my reign." Yoko looked at Natsuki. "I listened to the ministers without knowing what was truly going on in Kei and it hurt a lot of people.

"But in the end, you learned a very important lesson, that shapes the kind of ruler you are," Rakushun added.

Natsuki nodded. "I can tell that it's because you like to please people by doing whatever they say." She smirked. She raised her head up slightly and slouched in the chair, crossing her arms across her chest. "However, I could care less about what people think of me and I'm very honest. I'll tell it to you like I see it and I won't care if you come to love or hate me." She then shrugged. "I guess that's why I could never really make any friends except for the school delinquents."

"Delinquents?" Sonshou asked.

"Yes, she was a very bad girl in school. Now, Natsuki, sit up straight and take your elbows off the table." Natsuki recognized her mother's voice and quickly followed her instructions. She sat up straight, straightening her back on the back of the chair and placing her lower arm together on the table.

Everyone turned around to see Natsuki's family, coming toward the table. "She was very hard to discipline," Izumi said. They stood behind Natsuki.

"Thank you for inviting us here," her father said.

Shouryuu nodded.

"She's very stubborn and hardheaded," Izumi said. She grabbed Natsuki's head and moved it from left to right.

Natsuki turned around to look at her brother.

"You look good," she said.

Aki looked at her and turned his head away. "Hmph," he scoffed.

A vein popped out of Natsuki's head.

"Hey!" she yelled.

Aki turned to her and flicked his tongue.

"You better lose the attitude, little man," Natsuki said.

"Who are you calling little?" Aki retorted.

"I'm only a few centimeters shorter than you," Aki replied. "I've still got time to grow while you've already stopped growing."

Natsuki was getting angry. She stood off the chair but someone pushed her shoulders back down.

"Calm down and stay seated, Natsuki," Hiroshi -her father- said. Natsuki pouted but remained in her seat. "And Aki stop bothering your sister."

The others at the table laughed.

"They're definitely siblings," Shouryuu said. He looked at Natsuki. "The only person a queen will absolutely listen to are her parents."

Natsuki looked back at him. "Oh yeah. I just realized something," Natsuki said. Everyone looked at her confusingly.

"King En, meet your descendants," said Natsu as she pointed at her parents and her younger brother.

Shouryuu's eyes widened.

"I didn't have any kids… Did I?" Shouryuu said. He looked at Enki for reassurance.

Enki just shrugged. "I don't know," Enki said. "You do like playing with women. Both then and now."

Natsuki turned to her parents. "Mom, dad, this is Naotaka Komatsu." She pointed at Shouryuu. "I just found that out this morning."

Izumi and Hiroshi looked at King En then looked at each other.

"That's not possible, sweetheart," said Hiroshi.

Izumi agreed, "Yeah. Naotaka Komatsu, the young master of the Komatsu clan, died over 500 years ago."

"And that's him," Natsuki explained. "And he didn't die. History said that he disappeared on the verge of death after being severely injured in battle. His body was never found. That's because Enki brought him here. He has been ruling this Kingdom for over 500 years, since that day."

Hiroshi looked at he shook his head.

"No, that's impossible." He explained, "Our family is a direct descendent of the Komatsu sea warriors who were slaughtered by another clan. In order to survive, the survivors went into hiding and they changed their surname to Naotaka in honor of their young master who died for them."

"Except, Naotaka didn't die. He was spirited away to this world and became a king," Natsuki argued.

"She's right," Enki said. "Shouryuu, King En, is Naotaka Komatsu. I brought him from Kyoto to this world to become the King of En 500 years ago."

Shouryuu said nothing along with everyone else at the table. Izumi looked at him closely.

"But if that's true, shouldn't he be a wrinkly old man who shouldn't even be able to get out of bed, much less rule a country, or even be alive," Izumi said.

"He's immortal," Aki said.

Izumi and Hiroshi turned to their son.

"Natsuki told me that when a person becomes a ruler in this world, they gain eternal life. So a king can rule a country for 500 years and not age a day," Aki explained. Shouryuu looked at Aki and smiled.

"Very true. You have a talent connecting the dots and using your common knowledge to figure things out," Shouryuu told Aki. Izumi and Hiroshi looked at Shouryuu.

"Of all the times that I dreamt of meeting Naotaka Komatsu, I never imagined that he'd look so young… and really hot, too," Izumi said.

Hiroshi turned to look at his wife "Huh? Are you blushing?" Hiroshi asked.

"I mean, what woman wouldn't swoon over him," Izumi replied.

"Agreed," Natsuki replied as she smirked. Natsuki knew her parents were very confused and that her mother was trying to mask it with questions to try to understand their situation a little better. She had yet to sit down with them and really explain what was happening and why it was happening. She barely ever saw them in this big palace for the past few days. The wrench in her heart twisted when she thought about them being alone and confused, and probably scare, even though they never showed it. She knew that they were waiting for her but did not want to pressure her. It twisted even more when she thought of the fact that she was leaving for Mt. Hou soon and would not have time to explain things to her parents for the next few days.

As Shouryuu noticed the shift in Natsuki's expression, he decided that it was time to eat.

"Okay, okay, since we have that over with, how about we finally eat," Shouryuu said. The maids came and placed multiple trays of different foods in front of them as everyone took their seats around the circular table.


	9. Chapter 8: Confidence

**I'm back. Now that I'm free, I think I'll be able to update chapters faster but only every two weeks due to my job.**

 **Thank you for all your support, all the followers, all the comments, and all the favorites.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twelve Kingdoms. It all belongs to Fuyumi Ono. I'm just a fan who likes to write and have fun.**

 **Enjoy ;)**

 **Ch. 8: Confidence**

Dinner was over and everyone had gotten back to their guest rooms.

As Shouryuu approached his sleeping quarters, he stopped when he saw Natsuki standing at the door, leaning against the wall. Shouryuu looked at her for a moment as she looked back at him in complete silence. He looked at her eyes, tired and blank, and she looked like a lost child who was confused about everything she was doing and where she was going. He walked past her and opened the door.

"Come in," he said to her. She followed him into the building and into a large study that contained many shelves full of books and decorating ornaments.

"Sit down," he said as he pulled the up a chair for her. He left her there alone in the room. When he returned, he had changed into a white sleeping robe but he found her sitting in the same position he left her. He watched her carefully as she did everything he asked without saying a word. Shouryuu pulled up a chair for himself and poured a glass of wine from the pitcher that was sat on the table between them. He said nothing. The silence between them remained as Shouryuu continued to drink silently.

"Can I have some wine?" Natsuki said softly.

Shouryuu looked at her, his brow raised.

"Come on. I may be 18 but I'll stay like this forever. There's no harm in drinking," Natsuki said. She took the extra goblet from the table and held it out to him. He poured the wine for her. Without waiting for Shouryuu, she drank the cup down in one gulp. "Besides, it's not like this is the first time I've ever drunk wine."

Shouryuu decided to join her. As they drank together, they took turns pouring wine in the glass for each other.

"This is probably the last time I'll ever feel drunk," Natsu said.

"You shouldn't drink if you haven't been registered yet," he said. "A drunk ruler is a problematic ruler. A drunk ruler is unreliable and dangerous." He said all that as he pours her another cup of wine.

"Saying that while pouring yourself a cup is contradictory, don't you think? You drink, don't you?" Natsuki said to Shouryuu. "Strangely, I don't feel too drunk," she added, referring to herself. She glanced at Shouryuu in the corner of her eyes. "Is it boring?" Natsuki asked. "Ruling alone for over 500 years? Aren't you afraid you'll eventually get bored and want to destroy En?"

Shouryuu looked at her. "Are you worried that you'll get bored and eventually want to destroy Tai?" he asked.

Natsuki nodded. "I'm not normal. I don't understand people and I'm not merciful. I'm indifferent. I like excitement and adventure. I'm afraid that when I'm bored, I'll want to do something that will destroy Tai."

"So that means you've decided to accept the throne and become queen?" Shouryuu asked.

Natsuki nodded.

"If you're bored and want to destroy Tai, come to me. I'll help you," Shouryuu said. "If I'm bored and want to destroy En, I'll rely on you as well, to help me regain my sanity."

Natsuki raised her head and looked at him. She smiled. He wasn't drunk at all and she liked that because it only made his words all the more reassuring.

"Exploring the kingdom will also help you appease your boredom," he added. "I usually spend some months to years outside of the palace to help me stay active. Once every 50 years, you can take a trip with your retainers or by yourself. Taking a break from political matters for a few weeks won't destroy the country."

Shouryuu continued to drink as they remained silent for a few more minutes until Natsuki decided to start talking again. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this," she said. "I'm not usually open about my feelings. Sharing with others makes me feel naked. It feels like I'm stripping myself and standing nude before the person." She wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"But you're baring yourself to me," Shouryuu replied.

Natsuki turned her head to him. "I don't really know why I'm doing that. You're my predecessor, so I've come to you for advice but I don't know why I trust you enough to speak truthfully from my heart."

"Then I thank you for trusting me and confiding in me," he said.

They drank in silence once more.

"I should go," Natsuki said as she stood up. "If I continue drinking here, I'll get too drunk and won't be able to make it to my room. Sleeping in proximity to you is the last thing I want to do; no offense," she said as she slowly began to slur her words.

When she left the room, Shouryuu quickly put a long dress jacket over his nightgown and followed her discreetly, making sure she made it to her quarters. She was stumbling everywhere but she arrived at the right place. After she went in and the door closed behind her, he made his way back to his chambers.

When Natsuki entered her room, she plopped herself down on the bed and slept, without taking her clothes off.

She was being shaken as her eyes tried to remain closed as someone continued to call her name.

"Your Majesty… Your Majesty," he said. The blurry figure continued to shake her. She batted his hands away when she recognized the voice was Taiki's. She closed her eyes again trying to go back to sleep as the ringing inside her head got louder. Her eyebrows furrowed furiously as and she was forced awake by the unbearable pounding in her head.

"Taiki, my head aches," she said as she sat up on the bed. The touched the sides of her temples, rolling her fingers soothingly, trying to dissolve the headache.

"I told you not to drink at dinner," Taiki responded. "You probably have a hangover."

"I don't think it's from dinner," Natsuki replied. She knew perfectly that it was from after that when she was drinking last night with Shouryuu. She didn't even remember what happens after they talked about after trusting and confiding in him. She was still wondering how she got back to her room and if she did anything she wouldn't usually do before King En.

There came a knock at the door. "Hello, Queen Tai. His Majesty told the maids to prepare a special bath and meal for you today before you and the Tai Taiho head off to Mt. Hou," said a high pitched voice through the door. "His Majesty will also not be joining for breakfast this morning because he and the Taiho are at the morning conference."

"Come in," Natsuki said. The door opened and a group of girls came in with their heads lowered behind their large sleeves as they waltzed into the room.

"We've also prepared a dress for your trip," said the same voice.

"Yes, thank you." Natsuki got off the bed and walked behind the screen. "Taiki you can leave. I don't need you right now," Natsu said coldly.

Taiki's brow wrinkled with hurt as he turned away from the shadowy figure behind the screen. He silently walked out of the room.

When Natsuki arrived at the bath, she saw that the water had an unusual light pink color. Beside the bath was a set of soaps and massage oils and a white powder in a bowl. Natsuki took off her bathrobe and jumped into the water. She dived under the water, to the deeper, inner part of the bath, letting her entire body and her hair soak before she resurfaced to the shallow part. She sat on the marble part of the shallow bath.

"Your Majesty," said the maid to Natsuki, "His Majesty, King En left this letter for you." Natsuki looked at the folded paper on the silver plate. She wiped her hand on the white towel and took the letter.

 _Your Majesty, Queen Tai,_

 _It is partially my fault if you wake up with a hangover, so I will take responsibility by preparing a special bath and breakfast for you._

 _I had the maids prepare a special bath made from rejuvenating herbs to help muscle ache and fatigue. If you want, you can have the maids give you a massage with the oils beside the bath. Your breakfast has been prepared by the kitchen. Eat both the chicken soup and the carp fish head soup to help your appetite and weariness. Don't forget to drink a lot of water and stay away from bright lights and loud sounds._

 _I hope this helps. I won't be able to see you before you and Taiki leave for Mt. Hou due to my responsibilities. I have two Suugu waiting for you as a gift._

 _Have a safe trip._

Natsuki smiled as she finished reading the letter.

She enjoyed her bath and her massage very much as she sat there and let the maids wash and take care of her. However, as she and Taiki left for Mt. Hou, the pain started back up because the sun was like a giant spotlight in her face. She wished she had a pair of sunglasses or that she was already immortal because she wouldn't be in so much pain from the hangover.

Aki woke up. He looked around the large room, decorated in ancient Chinese ornaments, remembering that what happened in the past few days was not a dream. He was truly living in a royal palace in another world. The world was the world in which his older sister was born from before she was adopted into his family. It was because of her that he was able to stay in such an extravagant room as a guest in the palace. He sat up, letting his feet dangle over the side of the bed, where he put on his slippers. He stood up in his white nightgown with a cloth belt tied around his waist in a loose bow. It reminded him so much of a yukata one would wear at an onsen. He walked over to the windows, opening the large heavy curtains to see that the sun had already risen up to almost midday.

"Aki-sama."

Aki turned toward the door at the sound of the voice.

"Come in." He walked back and sat on the bed, looking at the three girls who just entered the room. They bowed to him.

"We are here to serve you. We have brought clothes for you to wear to join King En and the Taiho for lunch," said one of the maids.

"We're here to help you bathe and get dressed," the other one said.

"That's alright, I can bathe myself," Aki said. "But I may need help getting dressed. I've never worn clothes like this before."

"Yes, sir."

As he walked toward the door, Aki remembered that these people don't speak Japanese. But how was he able to communicate with them?

"Are you speaking Japanese?" Aki asked.

"Oh," the girl said. "Most people who work in the palace are Sennin, including us, so we are able to communicate in any language, including the Kaikyaku languages."

"Oh." Aki thought, _Not only do they have eternal life but they also speak any language. I guess that's better for me._

Aki sat in the large bath on his own as he had the maids stay out of the room. They offered to help him bathe, but he found that to be weird and uncomfortable and told them that he could bathe himself. The room smelled like cherry blossoms and the water was quite warm, that steam rose and engulfed the entire bath.

"Being a King must be nice since he has all these things," he said to himself. Aki looked around the room. Warm water poured from the mouth of lion statues on the walls of the bath.

Once he was done, he let the maids help him dress. The clothes looked so complicated and he wasn't used to them. As the maids dressed him tenderly, he watched carefully at all the knots and bindings they tied around him. They had him wear his white undergarments, plus another two layers of clothes. He was wearing a thin white robe under his sky blue linen Hanfu with a white dress jacket over it, hanging loosely around him.

"By the way, where is my family?"

"Her Majesty, Queen Tai has already left for Mount Hou and your parents are with King En and the Taiho."

"Mount Hou?"

"I'm sorry, Aki-sama, but the king will explain everything."

"Oh you look like a prince," Izumi gushed when she saw her son as Aki walked into the garden by the pond. Hiroshi, Enki, and Shouryuu turned as well.

"Mom, stop it," Aki said.

"Where is your sister?" Hiroshi asked from his seat.

"I don't know," Aki said. "The maids told me that she went to someplace called Mount Hou with Taiki." Aki shrugged. He walked to the table and sat next to his mother.

"What? Where is that? And why didn't she tell us she was leaving?" Izumi asked with a soft sadness in her tone.

"Mount Hou is the place where she has to go in order to be officially crowned as Queen by taking an oath called the Tenchoku," Enki explained. He took a bite of the peach in his hand. "Every ruler has to go there."

"I don't understand," Izumi said. "What does it mean for her to be queen? Can we return home?"

"When she is crowned, she'll receive eternal life. She'll never age or die." Shouryuu said. "I'm afraid she can never return to Japan after that."

"So she has to stay here forever?" Hiroshi asked, worriedly.

"If she leaves, she'll be foiling the Heavens' mission and she will die," Shouryuu said. "She will have abandoned her people." Shouryuu turned to look at Natsuki's parents. "No matter how much I'm sure you want your daughter to return home with you, I'm sure you don't want her to die."

"But if she stays, she will rule forever," Enki said.

"But since no rule is perfect, there will be times civil wars and conflicts and she will have enemies who are after her life," Shouryuu explained. "An immortal can still die with their body is cut in half or decapitated. Some people have also developed Toki weapons that can kill immortals even if they aren't beheaded."

Enki looked at Shouryuu from his perch on the railing. "Shouryuu, it seems that some rulers are starting less to feel the effects of Toki weapons."

"Yes, I've noticed that as well," Shouryuu said.

"But I don't get why Natsuki agreed to do something so dangerous," Izumi said.

Her heart rate began to skyrocket as she thought of all the possibilities that could go wrong. Natsuki was the kind of child that was reckless, never thinking of the consequences of her actions. As long as she was satisfied with herself, she would do anything. She loved immediate gratification even if it could put her in danger.

Izumi was most worried about the fact that she knew nothing of this world. Even if this is the world Natsuki was born in and lived in with her biological parents, she didn't care. That child is her daughter. She wants to protect her but there is a limit to her power. There are some things that she can't protect Natsuki from. She didn't think it would be her home a responsibility that was suddenly thrown at her. She knew there would be a time when she would have to let her daughter go, but she wasn't ready.

"The moment that Taiki saw her was the moment that she became Queen Tai whether she agrees to it or not," Shouryuu said. "It seems that she has succumbed to her fate and is willing to take up where her father left off. This is her fate. If you want to stay with her, she can register you as Sennin and you'll also have eternal life and live in the palace with her." Shouryuu placed his hands inside his large sleeves. "I've already sent a messenger to Tai about the new ruler and everyone in this kingdom should know by now."

Izumi looked at Shouryuu. It felt like he knew exactly how much she was hurting but he did not try to mince his words. It was as if he wanted her to know that there was no use being sad because there was nothing she could do about it. She knew he was right of course, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

 **Okay. The next chapter will be the beginning of the new arc. Now that we have all our characters and their backstories, we can start focusing on Tai and Natsuki and Taiki.**

 **I've made some changes to fit the story.**

 **1\. In my story, immortals, like rulers and other Sennin can't get drunk. I did this because Natsuki's personality is like a loose cannon or a grenade without a safety pin. She's similar to Shouryuu. I did this because based on SHouryuu's personality, I find it surprising that he didn't get drunk one day and destroy En. It's like the US president getting drunk one day and entering the Nuclear launch codes without knowing what he's doing.**

 **2\. Disclaimer: Just because Natsuki is drinking at 18 does not mean I condone underage drinking. IT IS ILLEGAL. For readers in the US, the legal drinking age is 21 although in some countries have it at 18 or even younger. In Japan, the legal drinking age is 20. Although Natsuki says she's drunk before even though she's under 20, we all know she's a loose cannon and a delinquent. She doesn't follow the rules, but readers, please, FOLLOW THE LAW.**

 **3\. Hanfu is the name for traditional Chinese clothing. Look up some photos on Google. I call them Hanfu because the clothes the people in the Twelve Kingdoms Anime wear look more like Chinese clothing than Japanese. I will continue to call them Hanfu instead of Kimono.**

 **4\. For the sake of this story and an upcoming arc, I've made rulers slowly start to gain immunity against Toki weapons.**

Thank you. That is all. Look forward to the next chapter.


	10. Arc 2: Chapters 9-16

**Arc 2: The Dark Night of the Land in the East; The Sun Rises over the Horizon**

Hi. I'm trying to name the arcs similar to how Fuyumi Ono did in the books and the anime. I really like this but it's difficult to make it sound and flow well. This is the best I've got.

I chose this title for the arc because Tai is like a land that has been enveloped in darkness for a long time, with monsters roaming around and no government to help the people. But as we all know, the night always comes to an end when the sun rises. That sun is in the shape of Natsuki and Tai returning to Tai t bring light to the land

These next 8 chapters will be about Tai's prosperity with the new ruler. We'll see how she manages things as she is crowned and the changes she makes to the kingdoms and the government to bring Tai back up on its feet. We'll see one old face and many new faces in this next arc.

We'll also slowly see how Natsuki warms up to Taiki. Natsuki will struggle but all struggles can be overcome.

 **See you in two weeks.**


	11. Chapter 9: Training on Mt Hou

**Ch. 9: Training on Mt. Hou**

Natsuki and Taiki said nothing to each other throughout the whole flight from En across the sea to the Koukai. They rode on the backs of two Suugu Shouryuu gave to them as a gift for their journey. When they arrived, the two Suugu landed before the Reigon Gate between the North and East Kongou Mountains.

"We're here, finally," Taiki said.

"Yes," Natsu replied coldly. She looked at him through the corner of her eyes. "Though I'm not looking forward to it."

"Even though you have accepted your responsibilities as Queen?" Taiki asked, great concern creeping into his voice.

"It's not like I have a choice in the matter, and since I don't want to die, I might as well do it. It might be fun," she said. She started going down the small rocky path ahead of them.

Taiki sighed. He then followed her down the path as they made their way through the tall mountain range, with the Suugu following behind them. They walked for a few minutes, carefully watching their steps as to not trip over the many rocks along the path. They came to a clear opening, where they walked quickly, without hindrance to Mt. Hou. As they walked, the opened gates of Mt. Hou came into view with several figures dressed in light blue and white colors. They arrived and stood in front of the gate where the Nyousen stood in two lines before the gate leading into another path into the mountain.

They bowed their heads slightly, lifting their hands in their large sleeves together.

"Greetings Queen Tai," they said in unison. "Greetings Tai Taiho."

A young girl with dark green hair walked up from the line and bowed her head again. She raised her head to look up at Natsuki.

"Hello, Queen Tai. My name is Youka and I'd like to welcome you to Houro Palace. I'll be responsible for all your needs during your stay," she said, smiling brilliantly. She then turned to look at Taiki. "Hello, Taiki. Welcome back. Welcome home."

"Thank you, Lady Youka," Taiki said kindly as he smiled.

Youka turned and looked at Natsuki. She turned sideways, showing them the path. "Please, this way."

The Nyousen led Natsuki and Taiki down the intricate paths to the palace. The paths were like a maze to navigate as they trotted slowly toward their destination. Natsuki grew weary as they trailed on. The soles of her feet ached as she felt he rocks piercing her shoes. The shoes made in this world were not advanced enough to provide protection to her feet like hiking boots were. The shoes were made of cloth, with barely any comfort in the soles, but she did not complain and continued on.

They walked in silence until they arrived at the palace where they met with another group Nyousen with red hair who introduced herself as Teiyei.

Natsuki noticed that Teiyei and Youka were the ones in charge of the group of Nyousen as they assigned several Nyousen with Teiyei to attend to Taiki and another group with Youka to attend to herself.

After they showed Natsuki her private quarters in the palace, Youka asked, "Is there anything you need at the moment? We'll do our best to accommodate you."

Natsuki yawned. "I barely slept last night so a bath and a bed will do," she said. "I'm exhausted from walking all day. Don't worry about dinner. I plan to sleep for the next 18 hours."

"But, Lady Gyokuyo will be coming by for dinner today," Youka protested. "You must want to meet her."

"Not really," Natsuki said. She ignored Youka and walked up the stairs to the main door of the building that would serve as her quarters for the duration of her stay.

That night, the Nyousen bathed and washed her in a hot bath littered with rose petals. Using scented soaps and flowers, they washed and combed her hair as she sat in the large bathtub in the bathhouse.

"Your Majesty, you have a very distinct hair color," said Youka as she held a lock of Natsuki's hair in her hands. It was a color she recognized easily from years earlier, the first time Taiki returned home. She used to comb the similar hair with the same color and the same texture a long time ago. It had, then, belonged to a man she had fallen in love with while he was here around the same time Taiki was here. However, due to her position as a Nyousen and his title as king, she could not be with him.

Natsuki saw the saddened yet longing look on Youka's face as she looked at her hair. It was a strange look to her, one she could not personally understand, but she had seen it many times before. She saw it when her parents looked at each other and many times in the eyes of girls who claimed they were in love. Natsuki's eyes fell on her white hair, the one identical to her father's. He was also the previous King of Tai and had probably stayed in this palace before. This girl must've fallen for him.

At that moment, she felt a strange feeling that was not hurt or jealousy or anger but a mix of them and she sympathized with her late mother. She also felt glad for her mother because it seemed she was the only person who her father held in his heart.

Natsuki laughed. "Everyone has been telling me that since I got here yesterday," she answered. "It looks just like my father's don't you think?" As she asked that, she felt great satisfaction when she saw the shocked look that Youka tried to hide.

Several days after Taiki and Natsuki left, Shouryuu made sure to keep his promise to Natsuki: to announce the return of the Queen of Tai and Taiki to En and all the kingdoms.

After the announcement, he had heard all kinds of reactions throughout the kingdom. Everyone was surprised, however, among the refugees from Tai, some were ecstatic while the majority had mixed feelings, while the rest were hateful of Taiki and the new ruler. It was quite intriguing to him. He even heard that some people from Tai went to Mount Hou to see the new queen and win her favors but they all never got passed the gates of Houro Palace.

He laughed as he read that letter from the young new queen that reflected the events that occurred during the previous days.

It'd been a few weeks since Taiki and Queen Tai arrived at Houro Palace. Taiki and Natsuki only saw each other mostly during meal times because they each had different schedules for their training sessions.

On Mondays, Natsuki had lessons on the inner workings of the court while Taiki was working on his Kirin transformations. After so long, it was as if he had returned to being 10 years old again. The same frustration and anger came with the forgotten ability to metamorphose to Kirin form and back to human form. He would often try to remember Keiki's advice to let his transformation come naturally to him. He had to stop living in the past, stop rejecting his nature as a Kirin, and accept that everything that had happened was a part of what makes him the person he became.

Tuesdays were war and military strategies for Natsuki and training with Sanshi and Gouran for Taiki. Taiki had no problems with Sanshi and Gouran, except that they were as overprotective as ever. As he watched Natsuki's lessons during his free time, he noticed she had a talent for strategies. She was the one who ordered to get teachers for everything including combat, war tactics, and government leadership. He was glad she was determined to learn more about Tai and learn the skills needed to survive in this world, but he couldn't say that he agreed on everything. Civil wars were something he would rather not ever happen in Tai because Tai had had enough with suffering. He talked about it with Natsuki, but she would not listen, saying, "whether or not war happens remains to be seen but I would rather be prepared to lead my army to victory."

Wednesdays were free days where they could do whatever they wanted. Natsuki had combat training on Thursdays and Taiki was trying to find and tame new Shirei. During her combat training, it didn't take long for him to realize that she was dangerous. She relished in fighting and wanted a reason to fight. Someone like her is the kind of person who would choose battle and war over anything even if there is a peaceful solution available. He feared her, more than anything. He truly feared her red eyes and the mischievous smirk that often spread across her face.

On Thursdays and Fridays was the history of the nation and its status quo for Natsuki of the country. Those days were the hardest for her. She learned about Tai's history, its kings, and the culture of the nation. She also learned about the provinces, their names, and governors as well as the Youma crisis in the country. She even learned things from the resources available to Tai to the type of wheater that was most seen in Tai. She was updated on any changes every week. On her breaks, Taiki found her thinking and looking out the nearest window as he was meditating.

Saturday's and Sunday's were also free days but they often spent that time drinking tea and eating sweets for snacks only for the Queen to go back to looking over documents about Tai's government and writing several ways to solve the problems in the kingdom and the court. She was beginning to consult Taiki on certain decisions to be made when she is crowned. She'd talk to him about allowing everyone to keep their current government positions unless she thinks they're not suited or if they're found guilty of treason against the government and against the people.

But she couldn't help but wonder what Tai really looked like and how the country had remained standing after all this time. She needed to see it.

Natsuki wore a pair of white pants, black flats and a red cheongsam that was cut on both sides all the way to the hip. She took a hooded cape and wrapped it around her body and clipped it at the hem on her left clavicle. She tied her hair up again with a red leather band. She took the sword that was borrowed to her for practice and attached it at the waist of the dress.

"Gouran," she called. Natsuki walked to the main gates of the palace. Gouran came out of the shadows behind her.

"Your Highness?" Gouran answered.

"Come on," she said. Natsuki climbed on Gouran's back. "Let's go."

Gouran took to the skies just as the Nyousen came running after them while continuously calling out to Natsuki.

"Where are we going, Your Highness?" called one of the Nyousen.

"To Tai," Natsuki replied.

As Taiki and the Nyousen arrived at the scene, Natsuki had already left the mountain and they had no idea where she was going.

The soot in the clouds prevented the bright light of the sun from hitting the ground. Without the sun, nothing could grow and the cattle had nothing to eat. In addition, when it rained, the soot laced acidic rain destroyed the soil and all its nutrients. The rain also washed away the home of the citizens, who remained and lived in the streets, rotting away with no clear water to drink and nothing to eat. The ground became brittle that it crumbled into dust when Natsuki held it in the palm of her hand. The wind scattered the putrid scent of blood and rotting bodies of both man and beasts. This is what became of her father's kingdom. Of her home. The dying children broke her heart. But what were the providential soldiers and the governors doing? They should have food for themselves and have good stored for times like these, however, these children seemed like they haven't eaten any decent food for weeks.

"Highness?" Gouran spoke to her from the shadows, without showing himself. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Natsuki covered her mouth with her edge of the poncho. "The air is so disgusting it makes me feel sick whether we're in the air or on the ground."

The country was completely infested with Youma. In Jou Province, Risai and her assistant general and her army protected the people of the province and gave them a way out of the kingdom by ship. Every day many people would come to ask for food, shelter, and a way out of the kingdom.

This was all she could do to help. Even if the people escaped land with their lives, many of them did not make it across the sea because Youma would attack the ships or they would die of starvation or dehydration. Those who made it to other kingdoms had a hard time trying to survive, to find jobs and shelter on their own.

Risai sighed for, who knows how many, times that day. She and her men sat on their horses upon a cliff, watching the last ship for the day as the people boarded.

"A Kochou!" yelled one of the soldiers.

Horses neighed in fear as they ran along with their owners, away from the cliff while people screamed and scrambled trying to remove themselves from their currents position.

"Stop! Do not be afraid!" Risai said as she tried to calm the soldiers and the horses. "Now help the people to safety!"

Risai quickly rode her horse down the slope as the Kochou landed on the beach. She stopped and pulled on the horse's reign when a person in a white cape dropped from the sky with a sword, stabbing it through the Youma's neck. The Youma screeched and fell, dead, on the ground. The person pulled the sword from the Youma and hopped off the animal's dead body. She turned slightly but, Risai couldn't see their face covered with the hood of the white cape but she could a see a little trail of white hair around her face.

Another screech from another Youma, heading for the boat that had already set out to sea. Risai looked up at the sky. Just as the Youma approached the boat, a red streak came and bit the Youma in the neck, falling with it into the sea. The red beast came back up and flew to land. It landed in front of the person with the cape.

She looked closely and saw that the animal was Taiki's Shirei, Gouran, and a person with a strand of white hair fluttering in the wind.

But it couldn't be, could it? _That person couldn't possibly be the king,_ Risai thought. She walked toward the person. As she walked closer, she noticed many differences about the person in front of her. The person had a small and slim body with a much shorter stature than that King. She approached the person. She could see the thick locks of white hair surrounded the person's face as it blew in the wind.

"Yo...Your… Highness?" Risai stuttered. She gasped when she saw a young woman turned to look at her and then turning to Gouran.

"She is General Risai of Jou Province," Gouran spoke.

Risai saw the person nod.

"Well, General Risai, it's an honor to meet you. I'm glad that you can recognize your ruler but I am not the person you are hoping for."

When Risai heard the voice, her eyes widened. The person was a woman which means that person standing in front of her was not Lord Gyousou.

Risai watched closely as Natsuki removed the hood of cloak off her head, letting her white hair fall around her face and revealing her bright red eyes. This person was an exact copy of the king except the fact that she was female. Her olive skin, her white hair, and even her red eyes were unmistakable, even in the dark.

"My name is Natsuki Saku. I am the new Tai-Ou." Natsuki added, "Gyousou Saku was my father."

She looked at the person who claimed to be the new Tai-Ou and the daughter of the previous. It was difficult to believe but she could not deny the fact that it was Gouran who stood beside that woman, which meant that Taiki was with her.

"General," said one of the soldiers. All of Risai's soldiers came running down the hill on their horses. They stopped when they saw Risai standing in front of a person.

"General, who is that person?" Kyoushi, the vice general, asked.

Risai fell to her hands and knees and bowed her head low to the ground, prostrating before Natsuki.

"Welcome to Tai, Your Majesty," she said.

All the men from the army gasped. They looked at General Risai on the floor and the other woman in front of them. They all fell to their hands and knees as well, prostrating before Natsuki.

The governor of Jou Province and all the Jou Province officials lined up and prostrated in front of Natsuki, who now sat on the governor's chair. Natsuki looked at all of them with their heads lowered in front of her.

"Your Majesty, we have heard that you have returned, however, because you were at Mt. Hou, we were unable to prepare anything to welcome you," said the governor.

"That's okay," Natsuki said. "It's my fault for not sending any notice before I came here. I only came here on a whim to see the situation in Tai." She looked at them. "You may all raise your heads." There were soft murmurs among the officials but no one moved. "Come on, raise your heads," Natsuki said again. "I want to have a conversation with you about your thoughts on what I should do about Tai's current situation. In order for us to have a conversation, we must have eye contact."

All the officials raised their heads and sat on their heels on the cushions on the floor.

"What is the most important thing that you think I need to fix when I come back to Tai?" Natsuki asked. "I want your honest opinion. A ruler cannot better themselves if they cannot accept criticism from the people. A country cannot be ruled correctly if the people will not voice their worries and wishes to a king," she said. "Please be honest."

The governor looked at her for a few moments, silently. He had thought that Natsuki was simply a child that was chosen by Taiki, however, he can see that she has wisdom and compassion. He approved of her immediately and was certain that she would lead Tai to a better future. He nodded and smiled.

"You are absolutely correct, Your Majesty," said the governor. "We're sorry it took us too long to advise you as your loyal subjects." The governor placed his hand on his chin, thinking about what to do. "Well, Your Majesty, the most important thing to do right now is to try to get rid of the plague. The plague exists, not only among the people, but also in the plants, the animals, the crops, and within the water and the soil itself."

The ministers behind the governor murmured.

"We can't fight a plague that we can't even touch, we must train the best men to fight to protect the people against the Youma," said a minister. "Don't you agree, General Risai?"

"It is true that we need more men and weapons to fight against the Youma that threaten the people," Risai answered.

"However, if the men you recruit into the army are sick from the plague, they are useless to fight against the Youma," Natsuki said. She stood up. "Alright, we'll help the people of Jou fight the plague." She looked around the room. "Do you have a scribe here?"

A young man in the back of the room raised his hand and shuffled to the front of the room. On his knees, he bowed his head to her.

"I am the scribe here," he said.

"I need you to write down everything I say from this point on," Natsuki said.

"Yes, Your Highness," the scribe answered. The young scribe set up a short desk in front of him with a brush pen and ink. He dipped the pen in the ink to prepare and looked at Natsuki.

"In Hourai and the world that Hourai exists in, throughout history, there have been many plagues and diseases. During that time, the people have created ways to completely destroy some diseases or lessen their effects," Natsuki explained. "The people must be healthy in order to have greater immunity against the plague. First, we must set up a hospital outside the villages with the plague." Natsuki turned to Risai. "General Risai, gather your men and bring all the food that the people need. We must also gather local doctors. We need to set up tents and clean sheets when we set up our hospital. We must quarantine the sick and protect ourselves so we don't get sick as well." Natsuki looked at all the ministers murmuring amongst themselves as she spoke. She smiled and said, "This will be the first thing I do for the people of Tai as the King."

After she gave the order, everyone obeyed. They went to a small village on the outskirts of Jou Province. They set up multiple tents and got the soldiers to bring the sick and elderly in for medical attention. The soldiers wore a plastic, full-body armor and covered their faces with a white cloth so they would not contract the plague. Outside they had many women who volunteered to cook, distribute food, and help the doctors and the soldiers take care of the sick within the tent.

Risai and Natsuki walked over to a nearby river. Natsuki bent down by the bank of the river and looked at the water. It was completely black and polluted. It must've been what carried and spread the plague so easily. There's no other source of water for the people so if they kept drinking and cooking with the river water, it made sense that they would contract the plague.

"Your Majesty," Risai said, "you must not stay here or else you may contract the plague as well."

Natsuki smiled but did not turn to her. She watched the river flow downstream.

"I doubt the heavens would allow such a thing to occur and have Tai lose another ruler and suffer more," Natsuki said. She stood up and faced Risai. "Tell me, Risai. What did you think of my father?"

Risai looked at her for a moment, hesitant before she spoke. Natsuki had told her that she was Gyousou's daughter and she could not deny the resemblance between them. She had bright white hair and gleaming red eyes just like Gyousou. She remembered when Gyousou once told her about his wife and daughter who had been taken from him by a shoku to Hourai. She also remembered him telling her that he would have Taiki help look for his wife and daughter in Hourai. Risai looked at Natsuki again and closed her eyes. She knew very well that Gyousou had reclaimed his lost child at the cost of his life.

"King Gyousou was a great man and a great king to his people," Risai said. "Even though his reign was short, he did great things for Tai and had even greater plans for the future of the kingdom."

Natsuki looked at Risai and shook her head. "I know that since I know my father well, but that's not what I meant," Natsuki replied. "I meant how did you see him as a…"

"Who's there?" Risai asked as she grabbed the hilt of her sword when she heard some rustling in the bushes.

As they looked closely, they saw a child: a young boy. He was covered in mud and dirt. The boy came out of the bushes in rags and had a body of nothing but skin and bones.

Risai sheathed her weapon and lowered her guard as they boy walked closer to them.

Natsuki walked to the boy and bent down to his level. "Hello," she said to the boy.

The boy looked at her. "You really shouldn't drink from that river or it'll make you sick like everyone else in the village," said the boy.

"I know," Natsuki answered. "I wasn't going to drink it." She took out a small white cloth and a water bottle and doused the cloth in water. She touched the boy's shoulder and wiped the mud off his face and hands. "That's better." Natsuki smiled at the boy. "Why don't you have some water," said Natsuki. She handed the boy the bottle of water and he drank it without hesitating. "Why didn't you get some food from the soldiers?"

"I was in the forest," the boy answered.

Natsuki nodded. She turned and looked at the river flowing. Natsuki stood up. "Risai, go get some soldiers and some buckets and have them carry some of the water from the river back to camp," Natsuki said.

"But Your m… I mean, Natsuki-sama, the water is polluted."

"And we're going to purify it."

The people of the village gathered outside the tents as they watched Natsuki setup to purify the water. She had a large bucket with a hole and drain carved at the bottom and placed it on a table and placed a large, clean Chinese celadon on the floor beside the table. She prepared a white cloth and placed it inside the bucket all the way to the bottom of the bucket. She placed a layer of sand, a layer of small rock, a and a layer of hand sized rock to fill the bucket three-fourths of the way to the top. She took a bucket of dirty water from the river and dumped it into the bucket full of rocks on the table. The people watched as clean and clear water came out of the bottom of the bucket where the hole was carved as it emptied into the celadon.

Everyone gasped.

"We can easily purify water with just a few rocks," Natsuki said. "First you find a clean bucket and put a clean towel all the what to the bottom. Then fill it with rocks. When you pour the unclean water into the bucket, the rocks, the sand, and the towel will act as a filter and the dirt will get left behind while the clean water comes through." Natsuki took the celadon off the ground. "Although it may look clean," she continued, "it still has some impurities. You have to boil the water in order for it to be drinkable. After that, you can drink it, bathe in it, and so on." She looked at Risai and handed her the celadon of water. "Set up more tables and a large bonfire. The fire will also keep us warm and help us cook the food."

Risai nodded and relayed the message to the soldiers.

The old man who was the village elder approached Natsuki. "Miss you've done so much for us," said the elder. "We'll help as well."

Natsuki looked at the young men and women and children who were looking at her and smiling, wanting to lend a hand. When she came here, the village looked like the home of the walking dead but after a day, the people were more cheerful and happy. It was simply because someone was there to lend a hand and give them hope that things will be better. it warmed her heart that this was because she took leadership to help these people heal.

Natsuki smiled. "Okay," she agreed.

However, a loud screech came from the sky and everyone turned to see a pair of Kochou approaching them.

"Youma," the people screamed. They fled, running in every direction to avoid the evil creature.

Natsuki looked up and furrowed her brow. "Gouran," she whispered softly.

A red steak encircled the Two Kochou and a strong wind rushed through the skies.

When everyone looked up, there were no men and the pair of Kochou were dead on the ground. Everyone sighed a breath of relief.

"Are they really dead?" someone asked.

Natsuki could feel a much more depressed aura from the people now. Just because of the attack from the Youma, their spirits were broken again and their hope was gone. She wanted to cheer them up. She walked to the dead Kochou and bent down looking at it. "Does anyone know what Kochou taste like?" she said.

Everyone looked at her with eyes wide, unable to comprehend what she was saying.

"Shall we be the first to find out?" she said. She smiled at them as she stood up. "Tonight we dine on Youma for dinner."

Everyone laughed and cheered.

"Her Majesty was absolutely amazing," the scribe told the governor. "She gave the people food, the effects of the plague is dwindling, and the people are always cheerful and laughing, almost like they were dead and have come back to life." The scribe looked up toward the sky with his hands clasped together with a gleam in his eyes. "Oh, she brought so much joy to the villagers that she looked like an angel who had descended from the heavens just to heal their hearts."

"Shukyo," said governor Rukan to the scribe, "I hope you're not thinking of Her Majesty disrespectfully in your fantasy."

The scribe blushed heavily. He shook his head frantically. "No, of course not. I just really admire her," he answered.

"So," said Governor Rukan, "what did Her Majesty say?"

Shukyo handed the governor a neatly rolled up piece of parchment. "She said to send this to every province, every village, and every governor and have them do the same to help people combat the plague," Shukyo said. "She also said that she needs to speak to you about a certain task she needs you to do."

 **Natsuki is finally taking more responsibility as Queen of Tai because she sees how the people are suffering without her. When she lends a helping hand, she loves that she can bring them joy. This chapter was to make her realize that these people need her.**

 **Thanks for reading and thank you for all your support. Wait for the next chapter in 2 weeks.**

 **Reina ;)**


	12. Chapter 10: Nightmares

**Ch. 10: Nightmares**

 **Sorry, I uploaded the wrong chapter yesterday. This is the correct chapter. R &R and look forward to the next one in two weeks. Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

Natsuki spent a week in the village with Risai and the people of Jou Province. She was having Risai teach her swordsmanship without using Houkou, Taiki's Hinman. In simply a week, she had become much stronger in her sword strikes and speed. With Risai as her teacher, she practiced for twelve hours a day for the past seven days as Risai forced her to learn several different forms before they even picked up a sword. She was forced to stand in certain stances for hours, constantly repeating each form Risai taught her to help strengthen her muscles.

"Having a strong form and stance will allow you to strike with precision and accuracy," Risai would say. "It deals more damage to the enemy. Having strong muscles help you use your sword better. If your arms are too weak and you try using a heavy sword, you will be bested by your sword. With strong arms and legs, your sword is lighter than a feather and is much easier to control. With a light sword, your forms will be much more fluid and you will be much faster."

As Natsuki learned from her new teacher, they would occasionally talk and share experiences from both worlds. She told Risai that in Japan, there are many different styles of traditional martial arts which anyone could learn from any school. Many those types also included ways to use a sword which she had learned from doing Karate and Kung Fu as she grew up. She practiced the different sword forms that she knew, applying Chinese forms and Japanese kenjutsu, to her training. She dressed simply in a pair of pants and a short, knee length skirt, with a shirt tied in a bow at her lower rib.

"Your Majesty," Risai said, "you have improved quite a bit since we got here."

"It's all because I've been doing the Martial Arts for a long time but I've never had to apply the skills in real situations," said Natsuki. She held the wooden sword over her shoulder. "In a world like this, one needs to be able to defend themselves."

"Why don't we take a break," Risai suggested.

Natsuki nodded. They sat on the steps before the front door of a small house to rest. Natsuki drank from the bottle of water and wiped a dry towel on her forehead.

"Your Majesty, would you please tell me about Hourai?" Risai asked.

Natsuki's eyes widened. "Why do you want to know about it?"

"It seems like it's such a different place from here,"Risai replied.

"Well, to begin with, that world is not called Hourai. Hourai or Wa is the name that the people here have given to that world; its real name that the people of the other world call it is Earth which literally means the land," Natsuki explained. "While in this world, there are only 12 kingdoms and the Koukai and Mt. Hou in the middle of the world, on Earth there are over 190 countries and over 6,000 spoken languages and not everyone speaks the same language. Most people speak the language that is most used or spoken in their country or area. That's what happens when the world has over 8 billion people living in it."

Risai's eyes widened. "Over six thousand languages and a hundred and ninety countries?! How do the people communicate?"

"I think that's one of the good things about this world. No matter where you go, you'll be able to understand the language and live a normal life there no matter what." Natsuki continued. "In the other world, I can speak three languages and they are all major languages spoken by millions to billions of people. It is often encouraged that people learn major languages and learn other languages of the world such as English and Mandarin Chinese, which are spoken by most people around the world. Those are the two other languages that I speak as well."

"That is amazing," Risai said. "That world is so grand that it is beyond anything that I can imagine."

"However, the governments of that world are much more corrupt. Throughout history, ruler after ruler, dynasty after dynasty have fallen most of the time through war and bloodshed. Unlike this world, the other world has many religions and faiths and in none of them does the heavens directly affect politics or how a government should be run. The heavens do not choose kings, or punish kings when they have gone mad, or give a king eternal life. A king rules for his lifetime and his goal is to have children to take over his position as king. Kings often married foreign wives to establish treaties. A king can have as many wives as he wants and one king had over 300 wives and 700 concubines in his court. Oh, and women could not become kings. The few times that has happened, the men would rebel because they don't want a female king because it is a patriarchal society. Only a few women were ever rulers in history and often, their reign caused their societies to thrive. Women were only there to be used by men. They were there to have children and stay in the house to take care of those children," Natsuki explained. "That was in the past but things only started to change about half a century ago and women can have work and have power in the government but many major jobs are still controlled by men. Oh, and also, there are no such thing as a king or queen with absolute power. The countries that still have kings and queens, the queens or king is simply just a figurehead. Even if they do have power, they cannot make any major decisions unless the majority of the cabinet agrees. Now, there is something called a democracy. A representative democracy is something where the people vote for someone to represent them and that person must make decisions and laws in accordance to the will of the people. That person will spend a certain amount of time in power until his time is up and a new person is voted into power. You may think that such is a system is ridiculous and would never work but it has been working for centuries now."

Natsuki sighed as she finished. She stood up and turned to Risai. "I'll tell you more about the ugly things and the beautiful things about the other world later," Natsu told her. "Once, a few decades ago, two major wars broke out with many countries fighting on one side while others fought on another side. I suppose it would be better if God in the other world was like this world where a ruler would be punished for taking his army across to another country's border. Many people wouldn't have lost their lives during that time. This world has some problems that the other world does not have. There's no such thing as a famine and even the poorest people can afford a good coat in the winter. The health care is so much better that people are living very long lives. This world could use something like that." Natsuki turned around and looked up at the dark sky. "I suppose I want Tai to embody the good of the both this world and the other world." She turned back to Risai. "I want you to watch me as I recreate Tai into a country that the people will be proud of; a country that other counties can look to for inspiration on how to make their countries into a better place."

Risai smiled and stood up next to Natsuki. "I can't wait to see the kind of kingdom you are going to create."

"Let's go back to the provincial castle of Jou," said Natsu. "I must return to Mt. Hou."

Natsu put on the clothes she came down from Mt. Hou in and strapped the same cloak around her. She walked out of the palace and met up with the Jou governor.

"Your Majesty," said the governor.

"Governor Rukan, I need you to do something for me," Natsuki said.

"Whatever you need, Your Majesty."

"I want you to get me all the information on every official working in the royal palace, the provincial lords, and the officials working under those lords including the town chiefs," Natsuki said. "I want to know who I can trust in the court as well as the crimes that the officials have done. I also want you to include yourself and your officials. I am someone who values honesty above all."

The governor got on his hands and knees, kowtowing before her. "Your Majesty, your loyal servant would never do anything to deceive you," he said. "Please do not worry. I will provide you with all that you have asked me for."

Natsuki smiled. "Thank you," she said. "Now I must return to Mt. Hou."

"Your Majesty, please wait," said governor Rukan as he got back up to his feet. "It is dangerous to return on your own. There are so many Youma roaming the land and the skies. Let me, at least, get you an escort."

"Thank you but there is no need," Natsuki answered. "I will also be stopping at the Kingdom of En, so there is no need to worry."

"But, Your Majesty-" Just as Rukan turned, he saw Natsuki mounting Gouran as they took to the skies of Tai.

Shouryuu and Natsuki's family waited at the palace gates for Natsuki to arrive. She'd sent a message through a letter telling them that she would be coming so they could decide what they want to do about going home or staying in this world.

"She should be here any moment now," Shouryuu said.

A gust of wind blew toward them that they had to shield their eyes behind the long sleeves of their robes. When they looked back up they saw a shadow of a person riding a red wolf.

"There she is," Izumi said. She smiled brightly as the shadow of the person became clearer and she clearly saw that it was Natsuki.

They sat together in a small sitting room in the quarters King En placed for the family. The first thing Natsuki spoke about her family was her decision to remain in this world and become the Queen of Tai. Her family worried but she explained everything to them and the fact that nothing would happen to her unless she was sliced in half, or decapitated in a rebellion or foiled the Heavens' mission. She explained to them that she also wanted to stay home because her country needed her.

"Tai is in bad shape. The people are starving and getting sick and there's not enough resources and no one to help them. There are a lot of things I can do as Queen and just by sitting on the throne, the people of Tai will be able to live normally, without feeling threatened every day of their lives" Natsuki told her parents with her eyes downcast. She shuffled in her seat, looking at her hands as she squeezed them together, trying to calm her nerves. "I'm taking responsibility. I'm doing so for my father - who forgot his promise to the Heavens because of me - as well as for myself who has been chosen to continue his legacy."

She raised her head to look at them. She saw her mother sitting on the velvet couch in her Chinese dress, with her hands clasped on her lap as she clenched her fists and her father's worried face. She sighed. She knew very well that they were worried about her but nothing could be changed about the situation. She wanted them to stay with her, more than anything, because she didn't want to lose another family like she lost her first one.

"This is my chance to make a difference in the lives of many people who need a change," Natsuki said. "At first, all I wanted was the power to do whatever I want and have some fun ruling a country. But I just realized that I like helping people. I like seeing the smiles on their faces and their eyes gleaming with hope." Natsuki smiled as she remembered the people of Jou Province when help arrived to them. "If I was in Japan, there is no way I would be able to lead such a life and help so many people," she said. "I've made my decision but I also want the people I love to be by my side to share the joys, the tears, and the accomplishments together."

Izumi looked up. Her lips trembled. "You're saying, you want us to stay in this world with you?" she asked.

Natsuki nodded. "I know I may seem selfish but you are my family no matter what happens or who I become," Natsuki said. She smiled. "I also want you to see the kind of ruler I will be and the kind of kingdom I will create."

"But, you'll be living forever," said Aki. "What about us?"

"When I become queen, I can register people to become immortals as well," Natsu answered. "In this kingdom, many of the officials are immortals that have been serving the king since he took the throne."

Izumi and Hiroshi looked at each other and then their eyes went downcast.

Natsu watched and slowly began to feel disappointed. There was a pain tearing through her heart; it was the same pain she felt when she found out about what happened to her father. She could already tell what decision they were going to make. It would never be easy for a person to give up everything they'd ever known for something they know nothing about. She smiled hesitantly. "I'll have Enki prepare to send you back," she said. She stood up and made her way toward the door.

"Natsuki," Izumi called. Natsuki stopped. "It's not that we don't want to see the kind of country you'll create but you'll be busy building that country, you won't have time for us."

"The queen's family has no power and we know nothing about this world or anything. Because of that, we won't be able to do anything to help you. You're also a big girl and we both know that you're much stronger than you think. You don't need us here," Hiroshi said. "I think it's better if we go home."

Natsuki smiled and scoffed. "I actually thought the same thing but I wanted to tell you about it anyway. I'm so selfish." Without her having realized it, Natsuki was crying and tears were streaming down her rosy cheeks. She sniffled and wiped her tears away, not willing to face them.

Aki looked at his parents' worried face and at his sister's crying face. He was having a hard time choosing which side he was on but now he had decided. "I'll stay," Aki said.

Natsuki's eyes widened.

"What?" Everyone asked.

"Aki…" Hiroshi said.

"Mom, dad, since you're going back, sis will need someone to stay by her side," he explained. "I'll stay and keep sis company and you won't have to worry so much. I'm sorry that you'll lose both your children at the same time but I'll take your place in watching over the troublemaker." Aki went up to hug his parents as his sister looked at them.

She wrapped her arms around herself to keep from going up to them to hug them and bawl like the baby she felt right now. She turned around and walked out the door, leaning her back against it as she held her breath. She would not cry. No matter what happened, she commanded herself not to cry, no matter how much it hurt from losing her parents again. She couldn't possibly rely on them for the rest of the her life.

They all stood on a cliff with the ocean below them as they prepared to finally separate forever. Natsuki gave her parents a final hug before they went to the edge of the cliff with Enki. Their gazes never wandered from each other as the sea began to swirl with the light of Enki's forehead the same color as the rim of the shoku.

As their figures faded, Natsuki broke down in tears, falling into her brothers embrace. The sound of her wailing pierced the air as the wild ocean crashed against the rocks beneath them as she continued to sob, her brother still holding her.

The Nyousen hurried to the palace gates as soon as they saw Gouran flying through the sky. They'd been so frantic since the queen left the mountain without any warning but there was nothing they could do to go find her in Tai.

"Your Majesty, we were so…" Youka stopped speaking when she noticed how Natsuki simply walked passed her with Gouran following behind her. The Nyousen looked at each other. Youka rushed after her as they made their way deeper into the palace.

"Lady Gyokuyo is here. She is currently in the dining hall with Taiki," Youka informed.

Natsuki did not run to her and simply replied, "Um."

When she walked in, she saw Taiki standing in front of his chair while Gyokuyo remained seated. Their gazes were completely on her, with Gyokuyo's eyes reflecting a bit of amazement and concern while Taiki's reflect a wide range of emotions from worry to anger.

She ignored Taiki and walked closer to Gyokuyo. She said, "You must be Lady Gyokuyo. I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

"It's quite alright, Queen Tai. I only arrived here yesterday," Gyokuyo answered as she stood up.

Natsuki continuously felt Taiki's gaze on her but she said nothing. She would rather ignore him than be scolded for leaving without telling anyone.

"Excuse me. I must rest," she said as she turned away from Gyokuyo.

"Where were you? Why did you leave without consulting anyone first?" Taiki asked.

With her back to him, she inhaled deeply to rein in her emotions. She knew that Taiki was worried because she had gone missing for ten days without telling anyone. It was her fault for making decisions on a whim and she knew she clearly owed him an explanation.

She turned around to face him. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I shouldn't have left with Gouran without telling you. But, I was tired of being locked up here and I wanted to see Tai's situation for myself. Please understand. I had no intention of making you worry but it's been 14 years, Kouri. I wanted to see the land I was born in and what had become of it in mine and my father's absence."

Taiki was slightly taken aback by her sincerity as she apologized but he sympathized with her. He, himself, wanted to see what Tai had become to make up the seven years he was missing without his memories.

Taiki sighed heavily as he placed both hands on her shoulders, towering over her. "I understand but please, don't do this again. Please don't leave without telling me."

When she nodded, he removed his hands from her shoulders, watching her back as she walked away.

Taiki turned to Lady Gyokuyo. "Lady Gyokuyo, I'm sorry for showing such a display. Please pardon my rudeness."

"You've matured, Kouri," said Lady Guokuyo. "A long ago, you were a quiet boy who was worried about not meeting the Nyousen's expectations. You would never truly say what was on your mind. Now, you've become a young man who even scolds his master when she's done wrong."

"I wasn't scolding her," Taiki said in his defense.

"Nevertheless, you still took on the role of a guardian's authority, telling her she did wrong by leaving without warning," Gyokuyo added. "I think you will need that trait more when she's finally crowned."

"You really think so?"

Gyokuyo nodded as she smiled at him.

That night, Natsuki floated on her back in the large bath within the palace, her naked body dressed in the steam emitting from the hot bath. Images of the children and the people of Tai flashed in her head. The image of her father flashed in her head as well. If it wasn't for her and her stupid child's promise, he would still be alive and Tai would become even more beautiful than anything. She turned her body over and dove under the surface of the water and remained there for a few seconds until she came back up. She stepped out of the water and one of the Nyousen brought over a bathrobe for her. She passed her hands through the sleeves, bringing the robe over her shoulders and tied the satin sash at the waist of the robe.

As she walked away, one of the Nyousen said, "She's a very beautiful woman but why do her eyes look so sad?"

Natsuki laid on the wooden floors of the veranda looking up at the sky and all the stars that filled it. Natsuki turned slightly when she heard the sound of soft footsteps behind her. It was Gyokuyo, who had entered her quarters.

Gyokuyo brought her hands together in her sleeves and slightly bowed her head. She sat on the floor next to Natsuki.

"Why are you not sitting on the chairs?" she asked.

"Gyokuyo," Natsuki said, "sometimes sitting at the lowest point means that the sky is more vast as you try to reach it." She reached her hands up to the sky, closing herhands as if she had grabbed a star.

Gyokuyo looked up at the sky. "I'm sure you'll be able to see these same stars in Hakkei Palace," she said.

Natsuki simply nodded.

Gyokuyo could sense great sadness and depression coming from Natsuki.

"Your Highness, what is bothering you?" Gyokuyo asked. "You even moved up the Tenchoku ceremony."

"Gyokuyo," Natsuki said, "Tai is beautiful, you know. Tai used to be beautiful. The Tai I remember had green fields, beautiful blue lakes, and delicious food. The Tai I saw this week was not the Tai I remembered." She continued to look up at the sky. "The people struggle to survive, the starry sky is blocked by acidic clouds, and there is no clean water to drink. It is also not the Tai that my father would've wanted to create."

"I knew your father," Gyokuyo said. "He was a man who was very serious when it came to Tai's well-being."

"I wish I wasn't the one to replace him," Natsuki said. "It would've been better if we could be a family together as he ruled as the King of Tai. It would've been much less a burden to me to be just a princess. And then as I grew up more, I'd be able to help him govern the country."

"I think because you're the one who will replace him, you will be able to create the country he was not able to," Gyokuyo replied. "Only you can do that and I'm sure he'd be proud of you."

She stood up, letting the long sleeves of the loose robe fall pass her fingers."Gyokuyo, I've decided to change my name from the name I had in Hourai. I will take on my father's surname, Saku, written with different characters."

The night before the Tenchoku, Natsuki went to sleep early.

For the few weeks, she'd been having nightmares about the ministers, Tai and her father. The most recurring dream was when Taiki, the Ministers, and the people of Tai blamed her and blasphemed her. They said that she killed her father, stole his crown, and it was her fault that Tai was in such a situation. Although the reality was different from the dream, she knew it was because she continued to blame herself for her father's death in Hourai because he had gone there to search for her. She even remembered it clearly.

After waking up, she found herself in the dark room looking up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom. She sat up on her bed and looked around the room as sweat dripped from her forehead and her breathing ragged. She placed her hands on her ears, desperately wanting to stop hearing the voices in her head, taunting her, saying that she could never be a king like her father and that she would be the one to destroy Tai. Among the loud voices, she heard a pair of low voices. She took her hands off her ears. Natsuki took a deep reach and closed her eyes. As she calmed down, she felt a familiar warmth as a two pairs of arms wrapped around her from opposing directions.

In her mind she heard her birth mother's voice say, " _It's okay, sweetheart_ ," she said. " _It's not your fault that we died. It's a parent's duty to protect her child._ "

The she heard her birth father's voice. " _I'm sorry that I left such a burden for you,_ " Gyousou said. " _But I will be with you whenever you need me._ "

Natsuki opened her eyes. She saw a glowing image of Taiki, Aki, her adopted mother and father - Izumi and Hiroshi - Yoko, Enki, Shouryuu, Risai, and Governor Rukan all standing in front of her bed.

" _We're all here for you and are watching over you,"_ they all said. " _Lean on us when you need us._ "

She didn't know how but she began to trust a bunch of people she just met and for some reason, their words of reassurance and support made her feel at peace that she fell asleep without realizing it.

She slept the entire night without a nightmare. Her self-confidence returned and she took the Tenchoku without any fear. After staying in her room for a week, with fear of failure and enthronement, she was glad that everything went well. On that same day, the divine turtle beast, Genbu, carried her and Kouri to Tai as the Hakuchi cried in Tai, announcing to everyone in the palace that there was a new ruler.

The Hou-Ou of each kingdom carried the message to their rulers stating that the Queen of Tai had finally taken the throne.

 **Next chapter is August 12**


	13. Chapter 11: Kingdom of Tai

**I'm back with a new chapter. Everything is going smoothly so I'm glad that I have time to update on schedule.**

 **Don't forget to review because your comments are very helpful to me and may even affect the course of the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE TWELVE KINGDOMS. IT IS THE PROPERTY OF FUYUMI ONO.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Ch**. **11: Kingdom of Tai**

Natsuki sat on the throne wearing a white gown and several silver hair ornaments as her headdress. She sat down elegantly with her together on her lap, her back straight as she looked down at the court of people prostrating themselves before her.

Taiki stood on the left side of the throne looking over the court hall.

"Welcome to Tai, Your Majesty. Welcome back, Taiho," they all said in unison like a chorus singing a song. "May you live a long life so our kingdom may prosper."

Natsuki smiled. She knew very well, even without looking at their faces, not all of them truthfully meant that outcry. They ruled the court for so long in the absence of the ruler, but now that she was back, most of their power had been taken from them.

However, she simply said, "Thank you all. I called this emergency conference because I simply want to know your names, ranks, and faces so that I do not mistake you for anyone else. You may all rise."

As if by cue again, they all rose in unison and sat on their heels on the cushions on the floor. One by one they stated their names, their ranks, and their authority in the palace. After that Natsuki repeated all their names, ranks, and jobs back to them one by one to show that she had memorized it.

"Taisai," Natsuki said. "I want you to give me complete list of everyone who works in the government and in the palace. This includes all the maids and servants, everyone in the courts and everyone who works in the provinces. I, also, want a list of all the people in prison, and the people who used to work in the palace during the times of the previous ruler as long as they are still alive. I want it as soon as possible."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," said the Taisai.

After she dismissed the court, she sat at her desk in the room adjacent to her bedroom, that was to be her permanent office for official matters of the court. Even though she just arrived at the palace yesterday, she already had a lot of things to review and approve in regards to the palace, the provinces, and the armies.

"Your Majesty, what was the point of calling for an emergency conference and asking for a list of all those people?" Taiki asked.

"Taiki, what do you think of Whitejewel (Hakkei) Palace? Is it as beautiful and lively as when my father ruled here?" Natsuki asked in response.

Taiki stood in front of her desk. "No," Taiki said. "It's gloomy and there is a strange dark aura around the palace."

"The Ministers have been in a position of power for a long time. Now that I am here, I'm sure they feel threatened by me. Things will get better by just sitting on the throne for a while but that won't last for long," Natsuki explained. She looked up from her scrolls at Taiki. "Power corrupts. That includes kings and ministers. I need the ministers to know that I am a ruler who will not stand for corruption. If I do that when there is no good people in the court, I will have no one on my side. I need people who will not be corrupted by power in order to achieve the goals I want to put forth." As she spoke, her red eyes never left his black ones. "I need you to be on my side and I'll need you to help me think of people you know that I can truly trust from the time of my father's rule."

Taiki looked at her as she smiled. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

As Taiki turned around to leave, Natsuki stopped him. "Oh, by the way, Kouri," she said, "you should smile more. I've heard many people in the palace say that you used to smile a lot when you were younger. A smile really makes the palace more lively, you know." Natsuki smiled at him. "And you don't have to be so formal with me. It doesn't suit you," she said.

Taiki looked at her smiling face for a moment. He smiled as well. "Okay." Then, he left.

The next day, the list that Natsuki asked for came from the Taisai and Taiki also turned in the list that Natsuki asked for. Taiki and Natsuki sat on the red persian carpeted floor of her office, surrounded by multiple stacks of papers and scrolls that she was going through since the day before. Using the lists the Taisai and Taiki gave her, she created a list of people she wanted to contact to come work for her at the palace. Then she called upon Risai.

Risai stood in the room, awestruck at the mess that Natsuki sat in. She was in her nightdress and had her head buried in the papers she was reading while writing notes and orders at the same time. She would occasionally push long strands of her white hair behind her ears whenever they fell in front of her until she look a band and tied her hair back.

"Your Majesty, did you call for me?" Risai asked.

Without looking up, Natsuki simply held out a thick scroll in front of Risai. "Take this," she said. "I want to know what you think of the people on this list."

Risai looked at Natsuki as she took the scroll from her hand. She watched as the queen continued her work. Risai looked at the list in her hands. She skimmed over the thick scroll, at the different names, many of them she recognized. She looked down at Natsuki.

"Your Majesty," Risai said, "this is.."

"That's right," Natsuki said before Risai could finish. "It's a list of all the people who used to work in the palace during my father's reign and beyond. I need people who are righteous to run this court so that I may have people I can trust by my side." Natsuki stood up and the dress fell all the way down to her bare feet on the carpet. "I want your opinion on it."

Risai looked at the paper in her hand again and looked more closely at the names. "I think you did an excellent job, Your Majesty," Risai said. "I know many of these people personally and I think they would be great allies to the court and to you."

Natsuki nodded. She looked at Taiki who sat on the floor as well. "What do you think, Kouri?"

Taiki smiled. "I think we did some good work today," he said. "I'm sure the court will be able to function correctly."

Natsuki nodded and smiled as well. She walked over to her desk and sat on the chair. She pulled a fresh new piece of paper and dabbed the brush pen in ink. She sat there a write multiple copies of the same order for everyone she had marked red on the list.

Oh, how she missed the computers, printers, and copy machines from the other world. It suddenly gave her an idea to create a printing press like the Chinese had in the past. It took her six hours to write and stamp all the letters while Taiki and Risai took turns to grind the ink for her as they waited.

"General Risai, I need you to deliver these letters personally to everyone of that list. Tell them it's an appointment from the King and they must respond to it as soon as possible." Natsuki said as she folded the last letter and placed it in a vertical envelope.

Risai brought her feet together and held her left fist inside her right palm. She bowed her head. She, enthusiastically said, "As you wish, Your Majesty."

"You may leave," Natsuki said. As Risai turned around to leave, Natsuki added, "You too, Taiki. You should get some rest." Taiki bowed to her and left as well. Natsuki exhaled heavily as she let her head fall back on the chair as she closed her eyes.

Later that night, two of the maids were walking down the hallway after they finished their work.

"Hey," they heard one of the maids say, "you haven't seen Her Majesty yet?"

"No," said another.

"Well, I saw her today. She was so beautiful that she could pass as a god," said the first one.

"How did you see her?" a third one asked.

"Well, I was responsible for delivering her meals today but she was so busy working that she didn't even eat," the first one answered.

"Really? She's so young and she just took the throne yesterday, yet she's already working so hard," said the second one.

"I just saw Her Majesty heading towards the kitchen," said the fourth maid as she came in. "The Taiho left Her Majesty's quarters but soon after, I saw her walking toward the kitchen."

"Oh she must be hungry after working all day without eating," said the third maid.

"Girls," the first one said enthusiastically, "we have to work harder for the sake of Her Majesty."

The other three all nodded at the same time.

The two maids who were listening turned around and walked toward the kitchen.

"Do you really believe Her Majesty did all that?" Oujie asked.

"I don't know," said Xinyue.

As they reached the kitchen, they saw light coming from inside. They slowly inched into the kitchen to look to see who it was. They saw the back of a person in a hooded cape looking through the drawers of the pots and pans and the different uncut foods in the kitchen.

"Who's there?" Xinyue asked.

The person quickly turned around and dropped the hood off her head revealing her long white hair and red eyes.

Xinyue looked at the girl, which strangely looked like a copy of the king. She and Oujie quickly dropped down to their knees and lowered their heads to the floor. "Your Majesty," Xinyue said. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I was being rude."

"It's okay. I would have the same reaction as well if I found someone in my kitchen," Natsuki said. "Now get up."

Natsuki looked at them as they remained on the floor without moving an inch. She touched their shoulders. "Come on, get up," she said. "How about this: instead of bowing to me, make me something to eat. I was awake all night and I didn't eat anything today."

The girls raised their heads up. "Yes, Your Majesty," Xinyue and Oujie said.

It didn't take long before Xinyue and Oujie finished cooking and served Natsuki her meal. They placed multiple bowls of food on the table in front of her. She used her chopsticks to pick from the different dishes in front of her onto her main bowl of rice.

"Oh, this is so good," Natsuki said as she ate. She looked up at the girls standing at the corner of the room, looking at her. "Sit," she said. When she saw the girls hesitate, she added, "That's an order."

The girls sat across from her at the table with their hands in their large sleeves and their heads lowered.

"What are your name?" Natsuki asked.

"My name is Oujie," said the girl with the orange hair.

"I am Xinyue," said the other with the pure raven hair.

Natsuki thought for a moment. "Your name is Chinese."

"Yes, I was a Sankyaku who came to this world because of a Shoku in the Kogou Mountains," Xinyue said.

"Oh," Natsuki said. "Then how did you end up working in the palace?"

"After coming here, I spent a few years trying to learn the language with little success," Xinyue said. "I met His Majesty a month after his coronation while working at an inn. He gave me a job as a maid here and registered me as a Sennin."

"I see," a Natsuki said. She turned to the other one. "And what about you?"

Oujie looked at Natsuki. "Well, I was working in the palace, sweeping the yards and His Highness gave me the title of Sennin as well as the Taiho's handmaiden.

Natsuki nodded. "Would you like to serve the Taiho again?"

Oujie raised her head up. "Pardon?"

"Since you're already familiar with the Taiho, I'd like you to serve him again as his personal maid. You can choose others to help you." Natsuki turned to Xinyue and said, "Why don't you become one of my maids instead."

"Your Majesty…"

"Then it's decided," Natsuki said. "I need my handmaidens close to me so you can choose one of the rooms from my quarters to move into." She walked away from the table, leaving the empty plates and the girls at the table.

Natsuki yawned as she walked out the door of her residence at dawn. Her new maid, Xinyue, was too good at her job that she did not forget to wake the queen early for her tour of the Six Ministries and the departments beneath them.

She would be accompanied by Taiki and the Sankou for the rest of the day.

She first went to Ministry of Winter (冬官, Toukan)and met with the Daishikuu (大司空). Natsuki sat to look at the records from the monetary and the treasury, making calculations about money that went missing without any record of them being used.

They arrived at the treasury, which held rare minerals and metals that only grew in certain places in Tai. The treasury is where the ancient seals and weapons of previous rulers were kept as well as other rare treasures made by the rulers and legendary smiths of Tai. The Daishikuu possessed the only key to the treasury.

"Daishikuu," Natsuki said, "you, yourself, are a smith."

"Yes, Your Highness," said the Daishikuu. "The previous king, Gyousou, appointed me as Daishikuu and ordered me to create a lock and key for the treasury."

Natsuki looked at the door to the treasury made of pure gold, like the ornaments, hair accessories, and all the jewelry on her body.

"You seem to be short-staffed, though," she said. "Why?"

"Your Majesty," said Taihou, one of the Sankou, "many people who used to work in the Toukan were let go of because they stole from the monetary."

"Oh, I see." Natsuki turned to the Daishikuu, "I want you to write an order to each of the capitals of the provinces asking all the bests jewelry smiths and weapons smiths to come to the palace with their best work. You should also ask for strong workers who can work in the forge as well as smart people who can calculate the money in the monetary and the treasury. You can seal it."

"Your Majesty," said the Daishikuu.

"I'll leave all of that up to you," Natsuki said. She turned to walk away but stopped and turned to face the Daishikuu again. "Oh, I want you to create some great treasures for Tai. I want each to have their own special power that can bond to a master. They don't all have to be Swords and weapons. I just want them to set Tai apart."

The Daishikuu's eyes widened as he looked up at the queen. "You want them to be enchanted?!"

"Yes," she said. She turned around again walked toward the exit, out of the Toukan. "Daishikuu, it was very nice to meet you. It's a shame I won't be able to meet you before the coronation since you'll be so busy."

Natsuki then went to tour the Ministry of Fall( _秋官_ _, Shuukan_ ) where she met with the Daishikou (大司寇). The Shuukan offices were very organized with the documents placed specific sections and folders. There were desks where many workers were writing and filing official documents. Natsuki looked within the Stacks, where important documents were kept. She skimmed over the document folders and their dates. She noticed that there was a huge gap of documents missing. Many of those documents included things about the ongoing civil war in Tai since the time before the previous king as well as anything that had to do with the prosecutions and crimes that were committed in the years when Tai was without a ruler.

"Why are these documents missing?" Natsuki asked.

"Well…" said the Daishikou. After that, his tongue was caught in his mouth, unable to speak another word.

"Your Majesty…" said the Taihou again.

"Taihou, I wasn't asking you," Natsuki said and the Taihou immediately closed his mouth.

"Daishikou…" Natsuki said as she waited for him to answer.

"Your Majesty, it was because of all the chaos that was happening during the time when the throne was empty. There was so much petty crime done by the people that we decided not document them," said the Daishikou as he shook and stuttered in order to finally answer Natsuki's question.

"You say that but these are records about the provinces and the lords and the governors," Natsuki said.

The Daishikou began to sweat non-stop as he shook in place. He quickly lowered himself on his hands and knees, prostrating himself to her. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I deserve death," he said.

"That's right, you do deserve death. I hate dishonesty the most and, as a Keihaku, you should be a role model to those beneath you," Natsuki said. "Okay, since you offered me, then I shall have your head for what you have done. Someone bring me a sword."

Everyone in the room gasped and fidgeted in place as they observed the queen in her fit of rage.

"Did I stutter? Bring me a sword!" Natsuki repeated. Natsuki looked at the guard at the door and saw the sword on his waist. "You!" She said to the poor soldier. "Come here."

As the soldier stopped in front of her to bow his head, Natsuki pulled the sword from the sheath on his waist. It was heavier than she'd thought it would be but she held it to the Daishikou's neck.

"Your Majesty," said Taiki, "even if some of the documents are missing that doesn't mean that he should be put to death. I'm sure we can recreate the documents." Her eyes scared him as she did not even turn to look at him but he had to stop her.

"Taiki, the missing documents mean that, within the court, the ministers have committed some crimes against the people which were not documented," said Natsuki. "This is the responsibility of the Ministry of Fall and not having those documents mean that he is also hiding something. How do you expect the people to follow the law when the ministers do not follow the law?" She looked back at the Daishikou on the floor. "Or perhaps you thought because I am a Taika, I would not notice the missing documents or the fact that those documents are very important."

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive me," he cried. His body shook as prostrated in front of her.

"But even so…" Taiki said.

"If Your Majesty wishes to kill him, then you could have Taiki order his Shirei to do it," said Taihou.

Natsuki's eyes widened when she heard this. She hadn't thought of that… and she never wanted to think about doing such a thing. She looked up at Taiki. She saw a fearful and saddened look on his face as he looked at the Daishikou. She never wanted to see that look on Taiki's face. It made her heart drop to think of ordering Taiki to kill someone. She looked back down at the Daishikou.

The metal of the sword clattered when Natsuki dropped it on the ceramic floor. "Fine," Natsuki said. "I'll let it go this time but when I come visit again, I want some of the documents recovered." Natsuki walked passed him with Taiki and the Sankou following her. "It would be most troublesome to drag the Taiho back to his room if he passed out from the putrid scent of your blood."

After they left the offices of the Shuukan, Natsuki stopped at the top of the steps.

"Next is the Ministry of…"

"Enough," Natsuki said. "We'll do that tomorrow. Right now I want to rest."

"But it's only past midday," said the Taishi.

"So," Natsuki said. She turned around to face Taiki and the Sankou. "I want all of you to know that I would never order Taiki to order his Shirei to kill someone. Why do that when it's easier do it with my own two hands?"

Taiki looked at her and gasped. He was shocked at her furious expression because of what the Taihou had said. He closed his mouth and smiled. Only then did he realize that she did not kill the Daishikou for his sake. Over and over, Natsuki had proven that she had the mindset of a ruler and that she would make a great ruler. Now he had no doubt that he chose correctly when he saw her.

He watched her as she walked down the steps.

"I'm going back to my quarters and I don't need an escort," she said forcefully.

Natsuki forcefully tore every piece of clothing off her body and threw them on the floor of her bedroom.

Xinyue came into the room to find Natsuki in her undergarments as she sat on her bed while pulling the pins out of her hair.

"Your Majesty," she said, "is something the matter?" She walked inside the room, picking up the clothes off the floor and placing them neatly above the changing screen.

"The Sankou," Natsuki said. "How dare they imply that I would ever order Taiki to kill someone?"

Xinyue's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" She turned to look at the queen. She saw Natsuki with her eyebrows furrowed as she looked toward the window. She noticed how Natsuki gritted her teeth with the down curve of her lips. Xinyue realized that the Sankou's comments had definitely made her angry, especially since the comment had to do with Taiki. Xinyue didn't realize how much Taiki meant to the queen. And it was more than just because she needed him to rule. It was a strong bond which told her that the queen cherished Taiki, and not just because he was the Kirin.

"The Taihou said that I should order Taiki to order his Shirei to kill the Daishikou for the missing documents," Natsuki explained. Anger burned within her that she raised her voice. "I would never do such a cruel thing to Taiki." Natsuki's frown became a saddened look. "Ordering a Kirin to kill someone is like giving a child a pet and then telling them to kill that same pet with their own two hands after they've become attached to it. It's too cruel."

Natsuki turned when she heard Xinyue snicker. "What's so funny?"

"It's nice that you got angry over that," she said. "It means that you care much for Taiki." She smiled kindly at Natsuki. "Now why don't I get you something to eat."

Natsuki turned her head away and pursed her lips like a child. "My mood is sour right now," she said. "I need to eat something sweet."

"No, Your Highness; sweets are not food," she said. "You barely ate anything since you were so busy over these past few days. You should take better care of your body." She looked at Natsuki as she pouted. "I'll bring you a meal and some desserts."

The next day, Natsuki resumed her tour of the Six Ministries. She started out with the Kakan, also known as the Ministry of Summer. It was the Ministry of War which oversees all the armies and all of the kingdom's military affairs. She met with the Daishiba in his office.

Natsuki looked at the old man and remembered him immediately. He used to be her father's mentor. He would come to the house and visit them when he was not busy and he would teach her father sword skills and sparred with him. She and her mother would often be on the kitchen making snacks for the general and her father. Natsuki remembered being afraid of the old man because he was very big and intimidating to her with his bushy brows and his thick beard. Back then, he had black hair but now all his hair was gray.

Just being around him, Natsuki could tell that he was a strict old man who seems to have held his position for a very long time. She felt a small intimidation from him like when she was younger but it quickly went away.

He had no patience with her and seemed to be preoccupied with other things. He was very serious about his job that when Natsuki arrived to his office, he didn't get up to bow to her from behind his desk.

He simply said, with his deep voice, "I'm sorry but I have some important documents to take care of, so I cannot get up and bow to you."

The Sankou were infuriated but with a look from the old man, they were silent.

Natsuki answered, "It's okay. Carry on."

He only indulged Natsuki after making her wait for over two hours. When he finished, he came over to Natsuki-and he still didn't bow.

"Your Majesty, you were suppose to visit me yesterday," he said sternly.

Natsuki smiled playfully at the old man. "I threw a tantrum at the Sankou and, unfortunately, couldn't make it in time to see you."

"You are the ruler of this nation," he said. "You shouldn't be throwing tantrums like a child and neglecting your responsibilities."

Natsuki was shocked. It was the first time that anyone had ever spoken to her like that since she arrived at the palace… and she liked it. He was like a father berating his child for a mistake that she made. She thought that people like him were necessary to keep the ruler in line for the sake of the kingdom.

She smiled. "I suppose you are correct, General Isei," Natsuki said. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your schedule." Natsuki lifted her eyes up and noticed how General Isei was observing her. His brows furrowed as if he was trying to connect something that seemed impossible to him.

"Is something the matter, General?" Natsuki asked, pleasingly.

"Your Majesty, I would like to tell you a story."

"Okay," Natsuki said with a nod.

The general brought over a silver tea set and set it in front of the Queen at the small round table and sat across from her. He held the lid of the teapot as he poured some tea into each of their cups. Natsuki took the lid of the teacup and moved it over the cup as steam rose through the air as she blew on it. She elegantly lifted the cup to her lips, took a sip and placed it back on the table. She lifted her head and looked at General Isei.

General Isei, on the other hand, looked at her bright red eyes and pale white hair. They were so familiar to him yet they crowned the head of the unfamiliar woman who sat before him.

He closed his eyes and opened them again. "I once knew two boys," General Isei began. "They were very strong and ambitious boys but they had no parents and grew up in a Rike. I met the boys while visiting the city of Garyuu in I Province. They were very cheerful and kind boys who tried their best to help those around them even though they had so little. I really liked the boys, so I taught them the way of the sword. I was still very young back then," General Isei said. He took his small cup of tea and took a drink from it. "I really liked the boys but I didn't meet them until they became adults. One of them got married to a beautiful woman and was blessed by the heavens with a beautiful little girl who looked just like him. The other wanted to focus more on his career as a general. The first boy's wife and daughter were swallowed by Shoku and the boy was devastated. He wanted to try anything to see if he could get his wife and child back that he even became the King of Tai."

Natsuki's lips twitches slightly as she tried to smile nonchalantly as she placed down the cup. She looked up at the general, who was still watching her. She raised her head and met the general's eyes with a fake smile on her lips. "And what is the moral of this story?" she asked.

"You look much like the first boy and his young daughter," said the general.

"I feel honored that you think I am your student's child and it seems it would be without a doubt that I would look like my father," Natsuki said with a smile.

The general's eyes widened.

"And also, you haven't changed a bit since I was a little girl, General," said Natsuki. "But what happened to the other boy?"

"He's currently sitting in your dungeon after being tried and convicted for killing his best friend," General Isei said.

"Oh," said Natsuki nonchalantly. She stood off the chair and straightened her clothes out. "General, I think it's time that I see the entire Kakan for myself. Won't you be my guide, general?"

As the men were practicing their forms and sword techniques, they quickly noticed the presence of the people walking on the outer terrain. They all stopped when they saw General Isei conversing with a strange group of people. One of the people was someone who was wearing a sun hat with a long thin veil hanging from the edge of the hat to right above her knees. She and the general were surrounded by four other people.

"Is that the Taiho and the Sanko with the General?" one of the men asked.

"Then that must mean that woman with them is the Queen," said another.

"Back to work," yelled the man in front of the group. "Gn. Isei already gave us orders not to let the Queen's presence here interrupt our training." All the soldiers turned back into their places and continued their forms with every order from the leader.

Natsuki looked over in the distance and saw the soldiers practicing their martial arts and the man leading them.

"Is that Shouou, your son?" Natsuki asked.

"Yes, it is," said General Isei.

"It's strange to see him like that," she said. "Is he married yet?"

"Your Majesty, please focus on the matter at hand," Isei said, He walked further with her as Taiki and the Sanko followed. "I've been acting as the general of the entire Forbidden Army as well as the Daishiba. I need you to appoint other generals and a new Daishiba and for the Taiho to assume his role as the Governor of Zui Province."

"I know and I already have some people in mind for those positions," Natsuki said. "I've noticed that a lot of roles in the palace needs to be filled. I'll take care of everything on the day of the coronation. The army seems to also need better armor."

As the approached another part of the military training grounds, loud grunts and the clinking of metal caught Natsuki's attention. She raised the veil over her head and saw two large men wielding long spears sparring against each other. She stopped and stood in awe at their perfect form. Every strike was quick and strong as they striked in perfect unison to counter the other. One of the men had short white hair and he was wearing a set of black clothes. His sparring partner shared the same face as he but he had short black and with a set on white clothes on him. When they were finished, the stood a meter away from each other and bowed to each other with their spears in hand.

Natsuki mindlessly approached them and clapped, catching their attention. As the men turned to see her, they were about to place down their spears but Natsuki stopped them.

"You don't have to bow," she said, "I was simply amazed with your swordsmanship."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," they said in unison.

"Would you like to have lunch with me?" Natsuki said.

"Your Majesty," the Sankou gasped, "soldiers of lesser rank are not suppose to share a meal with you at your table."

Natsu walked closer to the men. "Ignore them," she said. "General Isei will also be joining me as well as my three annoying advisors. Taiki has no objection." Natsuki continued, "There's a saying in Hourai that a meal tastes better when you're eating it with other people. Should we find out if that's true for here too?"

The twins looked at each other. They smiled and turned back to Natsuki and said, "We'd love to join you."

As they ate together, Natsuki began by asking the brothers personal questions. She already knew that they were lion Hanjuu but she learned that they were twins born of the same fruit that divided into two and they fell from the fruit at the same time. The one with the white hair was Hakushi (白子) meaning white child and the one with the black hair was Kokushi (黒子) for black were without parents and were raised in a rike in Bun Province. They self-taught each other to use short and long weapons, becoming proficient in the bow, the sword, and the spear as well as unarmed combat.

At one point, when Natsuki looked at their spears, she saw a lot of scratches on the blade and many dents on the entire body of the spears. "You look like you need new weapons," she said. "Your current spears can't seem to handle your strengths."

They, then, began to talk about the current situation of the civil war in Tai between many of the provinces. Since the Taiho and the queen arrived since a few days ago, there've been less attacks on Zui province and the capital city.

"However, the current unstable and incomplete state of the government is a cause for concern," Natsuki said with her head lowered. "I don't have my generals or provincial governors; the inner palace itself is in turmoil. These are all things which I must address by the time of the coronation next month."

Natsuki looked up at the brothers who stood tall above her when she heard the sound of the feet of the chair being pulled back. She saw them bowing their heads to her, with one hand clasping one fist, extended in front of her.

"Your Majesty," said Kokushi.

"If you ever need anything, all you need to do is call and we'll be at your service," Hakushi added.

His brother continued, "From today, we've learned a great deal about you as an individual and as the type of ruler you'll be."

"Please do not stress too much," Haku continued, "because no matter what happens, we can help you in addition to the fact that we know that you and the Taiho will come up with the right solution." The brothers turned and picked up their weapons. They bowed to her again and said in unison, "Your Majesty, thank you for lunch but now we must take our leave." They raised their heads and walked away.

As they vanished from her sight, Natsuki smiled sweetly. "I'm glad to have them on my side," she said softly.

Her next destination was the Ministry of Spring/Shunkan to see the Daisouhaku who handles all the ceremonies and rituals in the kingdom. They began to talk about the upcoming coronation and the Koushi ceremony on the Winter Solstice. The Ministry was very organized and traditional. They kept records of everything they discussed and even talked about the headdress and the clothes that Natsuki would wear for both ceremonies. However, with her busy schedule, she decided to leave the wardrobe and the planning of the two events to them.

The Ministry of Earth, the Chikan, was similar but they were handling a lot of problems in regards to land and the population because of the civil war and the absence of the ruler. In addition, many of the people were displaced because of the amount of refugees that were returning to Tai from other kingdoms. The Daishito explained everything clearly to Natsuki and asked her for additional resources and officials to help them handle distributing the lands correctly. Natsuki, however, suggested to him that she wanted to change that law a little but she wasn't sure of what to with the extra land that she herself possessed as queen. She talked about wanting the area below Mt. Kouki to be the center of the Kingdom's central government. The Daishito was skeptical that they'd have to destroy a lot of homes and businesses in the area but he said he's consider her suggestion on the point that because of the long absence of a ruler, many people abandoned their homes under the mountain.

The Taisai was in charge of the Ministry of Heaven, the Tenkan, and Natsuki was already beginning to trust him because of his detailed report on the palace and its employees and administrators. The report Natsuki asked for seemed to be accurate and she really liked the suggestions and recommendations he made for people who could take up positions in the palace and the government to bring the country back to its feet. She also talked to him about the empty positions in the army but he stated that there were multiple people who are more than capable of running leading the armies.

Natsuki was satisfied with the Six Ministries but she didn't really trust the Chousai. She would have to take care of him sooner or later, however, the coronation was the most important thing she must do at the moment.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Please review and if you're new, come back again in two weeks for the next chapter.**

 **Bye**


	14. Chapter 12: Coronation

**Hi everyone I'm back.**

 **First of all, I want to apologize for not updating for so long. I just entered college and I haven't had time to continue writing and updating the story. It's been difficult trying to get some free time.**

 **Second, I'd like to thank everyone who's continued to support my work even after such a long hiatus. I'd also like to thank the new readers for their support as well.**

 **Third, due to college work, I will not be able to update so frequently anymore or on schedule. I can only update when I have time to write and edit a chapter. I hope you can all understand.**

 **Now, without further ado, here's what you've all been waiting for!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Ch. 12: Coronation**

The servants and the Shunkan officials in the palace were running restlessly all over the palace in preparation for the upcoming coronation the next day. However, the person who would be crowned, the queen, was enjoying herself, relaxing on her terrace as Shinue combed her hair as she was having her afternoon snack.

Natsuki watched them rushing to put everything in order as she laughed.

"They look like mice scurrying before a long winter," she said.

"Well, winter is coming," Shinue said. She took Natsuki's hair into three locks and braided her hair down her back. When she heard a knock on the door, Shinue looked at the other maids and motioned for them to go open the door. When the double doors to her chambers opened, a group of servants from the Shunkan carried multiple boxes into the room, placing them on the large table in the middle of the rest and receiving area of the queen's chambers.

Natsuki walked back into the room from the terrace. She sat in front of the table with all the boxes opened in front of her.

The Daisouhaku got down on both knees and simply bowed his head to her behind the large sleeves of his traditional black robes and stood up again.

"Your Majesty, per your request, instead of going with the traditional all black ceremonial dress, I had the Genshi and the people of the Toukan design and make a dress for you with the multiple dragons embroidered all over the outermost layer. The embroidery was done like the dragons on the imperial army's flags using golden silk. There are damask designs on the red rims of the neck and sleeves as well as the hem of the dress," said the Daisouhaku. He had one of the maids take out the dress piece and unfold it for the queen to see.

Natsuki nodded. Three of the other maids that serve her in her chambers took the dress. Two held the sleeves of the robe while the other took the hem so it wouldn't trail on the floor. They took it away and placed it on a tall rack, with the sleeves through the wooden arms and the hem resting on a bench behind the rack. The sash and the red front skirt that would go around her waist remained in the box, which was also placed on the bench. After looking at the black and gold embroidered shoes, they also went back in the box with all her dresses.

"And Taiki's?"

"There is one flying dragon in front of Taiho's robe with the image of a Kirin on Mt. Hou to decorate the Taiho's traditional black robe. His black sash and his shoes are also ready."

Natsuki nodded. She raised her hand and signaled one of the maids over. The girl stood in front of her, with her arms held out as Natsuki closed the boxes with Taiki's clothes and placed them in the girl's hands. "Take these to the Taiho's chambers."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said the girl as she turned away to leave the room.

"Thank you for your hard work. Daisouhaku," Natsu said with a smile. "You may take your leave."

Now, all that was left was the headdress. There were still five boxes left on the table, but Natsuki already knew the contents of the four long boxes so she had them taken away. She was much more interested in the tall box. But no matter how tempting the gold and black jade crown was, she decided to wait for tomorrow when it crowned her head.

When everyone left, Natsuki exhaled loudly. She turned over on the red velvet futon and laid on her back with her head resting on the armrest. She looked at the ceiling but then closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again she was staring up at Shinue's face who told her that it was time for her bath and wash her hair.

"How long was I asleep?" Natsuki asked Shinue.

"Only for half an hour," Shinue answered. "I took that time to arrange the chambers you ordered me to."

Natsu stood off the couch and walked to the door and out of the room as Shinue followed her. They went a few doors over to the queen's bathing room. In the corner, she unbraided her hair and sat on the white marble floor, leaning her head back against the sink for Shinue to wash her hair. Later, Shinue undressed her and poured a bucket of warm water over her head before she and the queen entered the bath. Since she became queen, Natsuki never had to bathe herself or wash her own hair or clothe her own body. The servants did everything. They washed her back and washer her hair whenever she would bathe. They clothed her in layers and layers of clothing every morning and undressed her at night. All she had to do was hold her arms out and everything would be done for her.

The bathing she could do herself but the dressing was not so simple. The clothes were too complicated to put on, with so many layers that served different functions.

After her bath, her hair was just put in a ponytail. She then went back to her room and had four maids do her manicure and pedicure, one on each limb. Now, everything was prepared for tomorrow morning.

"Your Majesty," said one of the maids, "you have guests."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. She wasn't really expecting anyone until tomorrow, but after thinking for a while, she realized who it was. She picked up the front of her dress and ran out of the room.

 _-linebreak-_

Shouryuu came a day earlier than the coronation along with Enki, Rakushun, and Aki. When he arrived at Hakkei palace, he was discovered that Yoko, her Taishi, Enho, and her courtiers, Sonshou and Suzu, came a day early as well. They seem to have had the same idea as him that they brought gifts for the Queen. His party and Yoko's party were escorted to the Gyoku garden and served snacks there.

Aki was in awe. Hakkei Palace was completely different from Genei Palace. Most of the palace floors, ceilings and walls were made of white marble and concrete with many designs carved into them. Unlike Genei Palace, there was no gold or any other colors on the walls except for individual rooms and the roofs of the buildings. The garden in En Royal Palace was all clear water, with plants and animals, but this lake had white jade growing out of the ground, out of the lake. He could see many small passages which must've led to different places in the palace, like maybe an underground cave or water. It was a mountain after all.

"This is amazing," Aki said. "I can't believe my sister lives in this place." Aki couldn't remain seated as he was walking and looking around everywhere.

Shouryuu laughed. "Every building in this area is considered to be your sister's chambers," he said. "She can sleep in a different room every night and not run out of places to sleep for over a year."

"It's not just that but the way the buildings are built, the carvings, and the architecture, not to mention that what seems like an entire town exists on a mountain. Not even modern technology could make something like this on Earth," Aki said as he passed his hands over the carved edge of the pond.

Yoko looked and saw his fascination with the architecture as more than observations.

"Do you like architecture?" she asked.

"Yeah," Aki answered. "My favorite subject in school was always history but not because of the history but because of the different architecture that different cultures and civilizations adopted. People throughout history have done things that modern technology can't do."

"It's great to see young children interested in such things," said Enho, nodding his head.

"He always loved building things."

Everyone turned around when they heard Natsuki's voice. Everyone stood up to greet her. While King En and Queen Kei only nodded their heads in her direction, the rest bowed deeply in front of her with their hands in their sleeves. Enki and Aki were the only ones who didn't bow to her.

Queen Tai also nodded to greet her guests. "Thank you very much for coming," she said, "but I was expecting you tomorrow."

"Well, things happened and we decided to come early," Shouryuu said as he looked toward Aki. He turned back to Natsuki. "I hope it's not inconvenient for you."

"Not at all," she replied. "You're always welcome here." Natsuki followed his gaze. She saw Aki looking at her but then he turned away from her. She picked up the front of her dress and walked over to him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Aki answered. He looked into the distance over the lake while resting his arms on the on the railing of the balcony by the lake. "Nice place you have here."

"Thanks," Natsuki said, "but this is where you'll also be living from now on." She reached out and touched the ends of his hair, which now rested on his back. "You let your hair grow out."

"Yeah since it seems like most guys who live in this world have long hair," Aki answered.

"I'm glad. Now I know that the crown will fit you perfectly."

Aki's eyes widened when he heard this and quickly turned around to face her. "A crown?"

Natsuki nodded and smiled. "That's right," she said, "you are a prince after all."

"Your Majesty."

Everyone turned toward the group of maids that were coming toward them.

"Your Majesty, please return to your quarters," said Shinue. "I've already arranged guest quarters for the parties of King En and Queen Kei."

The group of maids separated into two groups: one for King En and one for Queen Kei while two maids remained beside Shinue.

"Take Aki-sama to his room," Shinue ordered the other maids. They rushed over to Aki's side.

"Shinue," said Natsuki, "I want you to go with him too. Have the kitchen make him something good to eat."

"But Your Majesty, I must…"

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to go to bed early." Natsuki then turned back to Shouryuu and Yoko. She slightly nodded to them. "I'm sorry that I was unprepared and could not accept you formally."

"It's okay," said Shouryuu. "It was wrong of us to come unannounced. You'll be very busy tomorrow so go ahead and get some rest."

Natsuki nodded with a smile. "Thank you for coming. Have a good night," she said before turning around to leave.

 _-linebreak-_

Aki remained in his room for the next hour until a group of maids brought several trays of food for him to eat. Aki watched them as they placed the nine plates of food on the table in front of him. His eyes widened in shock. The food in front of him was a nine-course meal that would cost hundreds of dollars at a traditional Japanese restaurant. There were all sorts of food in front of him that he had trouble choosing which first to eat.

"Are these all traditional Japanese meals?" he asked as he looked up at Shinue.

"Yes," Shinue answered with a smile. "The Queen asked me to make these for you so you could feel more at home here in the palace."

"Are you Japanese?"

"No," said Shinue, "but I was also washed to this world from China. While I was there, I was just out of culinary school and learned traditional Asian cuisine. Now I oversee all of the Queen's meals and everything that goes on in her chambers. I'm her head chambermaid."

"So you made these," Aki said. He smiled at Shinue. "Why don't you come and be my maid instead?"

Shinue shook her head. "I'm sorry but I only serve the queen." She looked at the three girls who stood behind her. The girls walked up and bowed to Aki. "These girls have been assigned to serve you and cater to all your needs. They also know what you'll be wearing for the coronation tomorrow and how to dress you correctly. There is nothing more for me to do." Shinue bowed again to him. "I'll take my leave. Excuse me, Prince Aki."

 _-linebreak-_

By the time she made it back to the queen's chambers, she found that Natsuki was in the bed, under the comforters, fast asleep. She quietly gathered the clothes and all the trash over the bedroom floor. She closed the curtains of the large bedroom window and lowered the curtains around the queen's bed. She finished by cleaning the empty plates off the small dining table before leaving for the night. She had to get to sleep to because she had to wake up early to prepare for the coronation.

The next day was the first time anyone was allowed in the queen's bedroom with her doors wide open as she was multitasking. As she ate breakfast, she sealed official documents from the ministers, while the maids did her hair in an updo in preparation for the headdress in front of the mirror on her table. When she finished eating breakfast, Natsuki went to the living room, in front of the bedroom to receive the Daishiku about the weapons she had asked for. She and the maids decided to take a break from dressing up and address the Daishiku.

The Daishiku was prostrating on the floor with a few men behind him with boxes in front of them.

The moment Natsuki sat down, she told Shinue, "Call Taiki and my brother." Then she addressed the Daishiku. "Daishiku."

"Your Majesty," he said as he raised his head and the rest of his body from the floor. "I have brought you everything that you have asked for. Two of them especially gave us a problem as we carried them to the palace because of how you ordered them to be made. The young prince's gift was fulfilled rather quickly and gave us no problem, but we had trouble finding the right enchantment for the Taiho's jade. I had to order it from The Ministry of Rites. This is the other weapon you asked for." The Daishiku pushed two smaller boxes in front of her and a larger box behind them. He then took another box, that was about the length of five feet.

He lifted the top off of the box, revealing a long double-edged sword in the box, with the scabbard on the side. The metal blade had multiple carvings and characters on it, with the edges shining like a mirror, reflecting her image as she pulled it out of the box. She held it up in front of her by the red handle was separated from the blade by a thick golden guard. The end of the handle had a golden ring, with a string tied to it and a green jade was dangling from it. Natsuki took the long golden scabbard out of the box and sheathed the blade.

She placed the sword at the side. But before Natsuki touched the other boxes, Taiki and Aki came into the room.

"Your Majesty," said Shinue.

Natsuki looked up at Taiki and Aki and smiled. She placed the sword on the couch and took the two boxes on the floor. She walked over to Taiki, who was all dressed and ready in his black robes, with some white under clothes and at the rims and sleeves of his robes.

"Taiki," Natsuki said. She opened the first box, which was small enough to hold a wristwatch, and took out a red knot with a white jade dangling at the end. The jade was a set of dragons, intertwined together in the middle of a circle. "This is for you. I had it designed just for you. The dragons symbolize royalty and your authority." Natsuki bent down and tied it around the belt at his waist. She said, "You are the Kirin of Tai; you are my other half. This jade is the same as the one on my sword. When you're in trouble or any sort of physical or emotional distress, the red eyes of the dragons will glow and I'll know. I'll come get you no matter what or where you are."

Natsuki then turned to Aki, who stood next to Taiki. She was about to open the box but she closed it. She handed it to him with both hands and a smile on her face.

"You open it," Natsuki said.

Aki raised an eyebrow as he looked at her but took the box anyway. He lifted the top of the box to find a foot-long dagger with a blue scabbard next to it. Aki's eyes widened. He looked back up at his sister.

"Sis…"

"Like I said before, you're a prince now. You get the best clothes, the best jewelry, and the best foods. But you also get the best weapons," Natsuki said. "I've already registered you as an immortal and I've given you a formal name, but I still want you to be able to defend yourself." Natsuki smiled and winked at him. "Don't worry, I'll get you someone to teach you how to use it. There's also a secret in the dagger which you have to discover in order to use it to its fullest potential." She then giggled and said, "I can't wait to see its power." She looked at Taiki and then Aki. "Taiki, Aki, as of today, you are a part of my Shajin, my Royal Guard. I only need you to protect me and be there when I call. You are dismissed."

Taiki got down on one knee and bowed his head to Natsuki. Aki did the same.

"I am at your service, Your Majesty," Taiki said. "As your Kirin, I will never desert my post before your throne. I will protect you with all my might."

Aki, on the other hand, looked up at his sister. His eyes gleamed as he smiled and said, "As your brother and the prince of this nation, I am the man of the household. It's my duty to protect my sister. I will forever be loyal to you. I love you, sis. I will be your knight."

 _-Linebreak-_

The excitement died down when everyone else left Natsuki's room. Natsuki was so happy that her lips remained curved in a smile. It was her goal to begin by establishing the Shajin and the Daiboku. Now she had Taiki and Aki on her side. Over the past few months, since she came, she had also trusted the loyalty of four other people she wished to be by her side. She would appoint one of them as soon as her headdress was finished and the three others during the morning conference.

"Your Majesty, it's time," Shinue said.

Natsuki stood up, letting the ends of her dress fall down on the carpeted floor. She wore a black dress with golden dragons mounted on clouds embroidered all over the dress with long wide sleeves and a long hem all the way to the floor. The hem of her sleeves was red with embroideries all over, like the hem of the dress that trailed on the floor. Shinue went behind the dress to straighten the cape, trailing on the floor.

She putting on the queen's headdress before she turned to look if there was anything out of place. She looked at Natsuki from head to toe.

Natsuki wore a pair of gold and red tassel earrings at dangled a few centimeters down to her shoulder. She was wearing a gold tiara right above her forehead, pinned at the roots of her hair, with ten strings of small gold beads dangling down in front of her face to right above her eyes. She had it designed to resemble a Chinese emperor's curtain of beads on his crown. Her white hair was separated into two. The most of her hair, from her forehead to behind her ears, was combed all the way up in a large black crown, like a tent over her head. Through it was a long, thin golden pin that went horizontally, with long gold tassels dangling parallel each other on both sides of her head. In front of the crown was a colorful pink and shades floral hairpin, that stood out from the black and red. It was the hairpin that belonged to her mother which her mother gave her to help her father find her. The back of her hair was looped intricately into each other like a figure-eight. Another horizontal rod went through the figure-eight, where there was a pair of long purple dragon flags, vertically. dangling over the queen's shoulders to the front of her dress, all the way to her waist.

Shinue nodded her head in satisfaction. "Perfect."

As she was about to take her hand, "Wait," Natsuki said. "I have something for you." Natsuki used both hands and picked up a small box from the table where she sat in front of the mirror. She turned and presented it to Shinue.

Shinue looked at the box and at Natsuki, who nodded. "Take it," she said.

Shinue took the box from Natsuki's hand. She carefully lifted the top off the box. Her eyes widened when she saw the gift.

"Your Majesty," she said.

Natsuki quickly interrupted her. "I'm not giving this to you simply because it's a beautiful gift. I did design it myself and had it made just for you but I didn't make it simply just to decorate your hair," Natsuki said. She picked up the hairpin from the box. "This hairpin has a special enchantment placed on it, which gives it only one ability: protect. I'm giving this to you because I trust you. You are the person who is always by my side, wherever I go. I want you to be more than just my maid. I hope you'll accept this and become one of my Shajin."

Shinue looked at Natsuki with awe. Her eyes trailed to Natsuki's red lips with her smile and then to her sincere eyes. She looked at the delicate iris hairpin, which she held carefully in her hands. Shinue remembered that she saw someplace where kings would give flowers to their subjects. The purple iris meant faith as another way of saying to her _I trust you._ Shinue looked back up at Natsuki. She lifted her dress and dropped down on both knees. She bowed her head before Natsuki.

Natsuki placed the pin through the hair, with the purple jewels that represented the petals of the flowers pointing toward her. She took the dangling string of green jewels, through the parting line, to the last jewel and rested it on the edge of her forehead, to represent the long pointed leaves of the iris flower. Once she finished, she looked at Shinue as she raised her head with the pin staying in its place. Natsuki nodded to her as she smiled. "It looks beautiful on you," she said. She looked at the open door to her chambers. "Shall we go?"

Shinue shifted and stood a foot behind Natsuki, her head lowered slightly.

"Shinue, raise your head. Your master is the ruler of this nation and she has chosen you to serve her personally. Your status is higher than that of many people in the palace. Keep your head up with pride and dignity," Natsuki said. Without turning around, she walked out of her bedroom door with Shinue close behind.

- _Linebreak-_

The entire royal army lined up in the courtyard, with the purple dragon flags raised, fluttering in the wind to welcome the new ruler. All the soldiers were on their hands and knees, prostrations before the entrance to the balcony on which the queen was set to arrive. All of the officials lined up in a grand hall with pillars of gyoku rising from the ground to the ceiling.

The envoys of Queen Kei and King En stood on the balcony, where the queen was set to arrive to greet her people.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Her heels echoed through the hall.

She placed one foot ahead of the other as she slowly strode along the almost completely empty hall as she walked toward the gleaming sunlight. She carried her sword in her hand as she walked with Taiki, Aki, and Shinue following her.

Aki was wearing an azure robe with black hems with a long sleeved jacket with a black sash tied at the waist. Half of his black hair was combed up into a small cylindrical silver crown with a pin going horizontally through it. Blue diamonds found in no other place than Tai decorated the crown, shining in the light of the sun when they arrived at the balcony.

Aki's eyes widened at the loud cheers of the soldiers below and the sheer number of men which prostrated before his sister, acknowledging her as their ruler.

They cheered loudly when she stood on the balcony. The wind rushed over them, moving the flags that stood on the grounds as if the gods had sent blessings down to them.

"May our empress live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years." Their voices echoed in unison and penetrated the entire mountain as they wished her a long life.

 **There's a lot of Chinese influence in this because I want to stay as close to the original story as I can. I've done some research and discovered that Fuyumi Ono used a lot of Chinese influence in the Twelve Kingdoms, so I thought I'd follow the same pattern. I also watch a lot of Chinese historical dramas and loved the costumes so I tried to follow that example.**

 **I hope you all liked it. Don't forget to review and leave comments. They're always helpful to improve the story and my writing style.**

 **I'll try to update soon.**

 **Thank you and I hope to see you all soon.**

 **Reina!**


	15. Chapter 13: Changes

**Hi, I'm back.**

 **As I stated before, I don't own the Twelve Kingdoms.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Ch. 13: Changes in the Court**

Shouryuu had his hands together in his large sleeves. "That seemed to have gone well," he said. "But I'm surprised you took so long to have the coronation. Were you having trouble with your first ordinance?"

Natsuki shook her head. "I had no trouble with my first ordinance, however, because Tai has been without a ruler for so long, the government was too weak, so I took the last four months to come up with ways to change it. Today I'm going to assign new officials to new posts and announce the changes I want to make to the court. I wanted to take longer but the Daisouhaku reminded me that the winter solstice is coming and we have to pray to rid the kingdom of youma."

"I see," said Yoko.

"Your Majesty."

Natsuki turned to see the Chousai standing behind her.

"It's time to meet with the Shuuko."

"Right, the provincial leaders, huh," said Natsuki. "Alright."

"Then," said Shouryuu, "we'll be out of your way."

"Wait," said Natsuki, "I want you to see this too. I hope you can join me in the throne room."

Natsuki sat up high above the officials and the provincial lords, with Taiki standing at her side as everyone below prostrated before her. The only ones standing were Aki, Enki, Shouryuu, and Yoko. Rakushun, Sonshou, and Enho just had their heads lowered.

"Your Majesty," everyone said in unison, "congratulations on your coronation." Their voices roared through the hall.

"Thank you," she said. "Now, let's get on with everything."

Natsuki slouched in her chair, slowly growing weary of the same line being stated repeatedly by different people. She opened her mouth wide, openly, and rudely, yawning.

Below, one of the provincial governors spoke. "I brought these gifts for you to…"

"Gifts, gifts, and more gifts," Natsuki said, interrupting the provincial lord. "I'm sorry to say but neither my treasury nor my wardrobe lacks any sort of expensive jewelry or any amount of precious metals."

The Shi Provincial Governor shriveled at the sound of the queen's voice. He bowed his head. "Please, forgive me, Your Majesty. I was not trying to offend you."

Natsuki stood up and walked to the edge of the step in front of her throne. "I have one question, though. This has baffled me for a while so I'd like you all to help me find an answer," she said. "The people of Tai are suffering because they don't have shelter, food, or any kind of health care, yet you have so much money, gold, and grain that you can offer them to me in abundance." She went on and asked, "How can this be? Have you neglected your duties to the people? The Provincial Governors exist to help the ruler manage the people and the population of the kingdom. In my absence, _you_ are their ruler and it is _your_ job to ensure their safety and welfare." She raised her voice up another decibel. "Or did you forget that?" She lowered her voice again. "These gifts you've offered me... are they truly to congratulate me or are you planning to use them as a bribe so I can turn a blind eye to the crimes you have committed?"

She held out her hand and someone climbed the stairs, with their heads lowered, and handed her a stack of papers. She flipped through the papers one by one. "Jou province governor used his own people as shields; Ki province governor charged his people excessive taxes and when they can't pay it, he burns down their houses. Sui province governor assaults and rapes women and young girls; Shi province shuuko also used his own people as shields. Ran province shuuko recruits young children into his army and uses them as decoys against youma and other provincial armies. I province, Bun province, and Ba province have used the capital province as their own personal battlefields. Shuuko and all the officials who stand here in this room, I ask you, what the hell have you been doing?!" she yelled. She threw all the papers in her hands into the air.

They rained down slowly to the rest of the people gathered in the room. Natsuki took the sword in her hand and hit the floor loudly with the chape. "Do you know that your crimes are worthy of capital punishment?"

They all gasped. In fear, they bowed their heads, prostrating before her. Their forms quaked and shivered as if a cold wind passed through the room.

"We're so sorry if we've offended you, Your Majesty?" said one.

"Your Majesty," Taiki said walking up to Natsuki, "you can't just…"

"Taiki," Natsuki interrupted, "I have not finished speaking so know your place."

Taiki was about to open his mouth again but he obeyed.

"However, no matter the crimes you've committed, it's still thanks to you that the people of Tai still live. And, I can't simply kill and replace all of you overnight, so I will overlook your previous crimes."

When she said that, they all raised their head, releasing a huge sigh of relief.

"I believe in second chances… and during a time when the central government is so weak, things can get out of control," Natsuki said. "So let us start with a clean slate. We will start with the changes in the royal court. However, if you dare step out of line," her voice suddenly became cold and her eyes narrowed, "do not curse me for not showing you mercy."

They all sat down on the small cushions on the floor as Natsuki went back to sit on her throne.

"The Chousai brought it to my attention that having morning conference every day of the week is too much for the people working in the palace. So it will be reduced to only five days a week. If there's an emergency, the Shuuko or the ministers should come speak with the Chousai to arrange for the conference," she stated.

She looked down at the old man sitting in front of all the ministers. "Speaking of the Chousai, it seems that you were more of a military person before you became Chousai. So I have reassigned you to the position of Daishiba. I feel that you'll manage the armies well."

The man bowed his head on the back of his palms on the floor and said, "I receive your order, Your Majesty."

"General Isei will retain his post as the General of the Army of Center, General Risai of Jou will be promoted to General of the Army of Right, and General Asen will be the new General of the Army of Left."

Isei, Risai, and Asen walked and stood in front of the assembly. They got down on their knees and bowed to the queen with their heads behind their large sleeves. "We receive your order, Your Majesty."

Many of the officials in the assembly gasped.

"Your Majesty, how can you assign a woman to such a high position? And that man is the man who was tried for killing the previous king. How can he be trusted as a general of the armies of the Forbidden Army?" said one of the officials.

"Gender and status have nothing to do with why I chose them," Natsuki answered. "General Risai is an excellent general who used to be a general of the Royal army, however, with the absence of the king, she went back to Jou Province as the provincial army general. I, myself, have witnessed her leadership in the army and how she helped many refugees escape from youma. The fact that she is a woman does not make her accomplishments any less admirable."

Many of the officials whispered amongst themselves, many nodding in agreement with the queen.

"General Risai may be fine but," another one pushed on, "Asen was a man tried and imprisoned for eternity for killing the king. We cannot allow such a person to lead an army."

She knew that this would come up. She knew very well that there would be questions about her father's death if the case was reopened. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before she continued. "From my understanding, there was no trial. General Asen was simply convicted and thrown into prison without a proper trial. He did not even resist arrest," Natsuki explained as she tried to keep her voice steady. "The Taiho and I have already gone over the case again with the Daishikou." She took a silent deep breath before she turned to him. "Taiki."

"General Asen did not cut off my horn. After the king's death, I went to Hourai to look for a new ruler, however, I was too overwhelmed and sealed my horn and my memories. I'm sorry for neglecting my duties to Tai, to the queen, and to the people," Taiki said.

"In addition, based on further investigation and testimonies, General Asen and the King were nowhere near each other when the king died, which makes him an innocent man who was wrongly accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit," Natsuki said. She clawed the arms of her throne tightly, her perfectly red-painted nails digging into the stone. "I've reinstated him to his post as general."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Asen. "I receive your order and I am at your command."

"All of you take good care of the army for me," said Natsuki.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Asen, Isei, and Risai unison. They got up and returned to their seats.

There was a heavy silence in the room, but Natsuki knew that no one would dare say anything against her.

"Now, then, I would also like to assign Lord Rukan of Jou Province as the new Chousai. With this I will also increase the Chousai's responsibilities," Natsuki said. "The Chousai's office will, from now on, be the head office for everyone that works in the palace, including all the servants, along with the Ministers. You will also be the one to announce any new decrees in court and to the people." Natsuki looked at Rukan.

Rukan stepped forward and bowed his head to Natsuki. "I am most honored, Your Majesty."

Throughout the entire conference, many people were promoted, many others were demoted, and many new ones were hired to work for the queen in the palace. She assigned a wise old man to be Aki's teacher, to teach him of the ways of the palace. He was also assigned as a scribe for the palace, who would keep records of everything that happened. She made her way back up the stairs to the throne, continuing the conference from her perch.

"Now, then," she said, "I want Taiki, Risai, Shinue, Aki, Hakushi, and Kokushi to step forward. I want you all to come up here because I have something special to grant you."

Low murmurs spread through the room once again.

The six that she called up, except for Taiki, who already stood beside walked up the tall set of stairs to the queen. They stood before her and bowed their heads low.

"I am not giving you an order," she began, "I am asking the six of you to stay by my side as my retainers. With all of you, I have officially commenced selecting the personal guard of the king. All of you have been selected. Each one of you will be given a gift, with a special enchantment, should you choose to accept the assignment. The reason I chose the six of you is not because I want you to be my puppets, but because I want you all to be my friends and my loyal subjects. I want you to be the people I can trust to protect me as well as the people who will help me find my way should I go down the wrong path, by _whatever_ means necessary."

She held her sword in her hand. "I have one of the weapons in my hand and I've given Taiki, Aki, and Shinue one of their own."

Someone walked up the stairs, with a long box in his hands and held it to Natsuki.

Natsuki stood in front of Risai. She turned and gave Taiki her sword to hold. She took the other sword in the scabbard from the open box. She held it out in front of Risai, as Risai held out both her palms.

"Risai, you are a great general and someone who will sacrifice herself for the people of Tai," Natsuki said. "To you, I bestow this sword and name you Shajin, my own personal guard." She held the sword with both hands. She placed it in Risai's open palms. "However, I've already assigned you General of the Royal Army so I do not need you by my side all the time, however, if the Shajin must be gathered together, you must be present as well. Because you have twice the responsibility, I suggest you choose a good Major General and Lieutenant General who can share the burden with you." Natsuki's voice dropped low that only the people near her could hear her as she said, "Do you accept?"

Risai dropped down with her left knee on the floor. She held her new weapon in her left hand as she placed her right hand on the left side of her chest. She bowed her head to Natsuki and raised it up again.

"Your Majesty, it would be my pleasure to serve and protect you. I accept this assignment." Risai's voice dropped to a whisper, "I will never turn my back on you. I'll stay by your side forever."

Natsuki smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.

Risai remained on her knee as Natsuki walked up to the twins. She smiled brightly at them as two other people with long boxes in their hands came and stood behind her.

"Hakushi, Kokushi, I may not have known you for long, but I can tell that you two care for Tai very much. You pride yourself in your country. As soldiers, you've done a lot to keep Tai on its feet in my absence. I will no longer address you as two but as one. You are will be my arms and legs," said Natsuki. "As of this moment, both of you hold the title of Daiboku, Leaders of the Shajin. When we first met, I was amazed by your strength and discipline. And, as promised, I will bestow you with weapons that will be can withstand your great strength."

The two servants, each took one of the spears and gave one of each to the brothers with both hands.

"Once you've said their names and activated their enchantments, only you will be able to wield such a weapon. They are yours should you choose to accept," she said.

The twins got down on their knees and bowed their heads to Natsuki. They placed their hands over their hearts and said in unison, "We accept. As of this moment, we are one with you. We will thrive with you and we will perish with you. Our lives will forever be in your hands."

Natsuki nodded. As she looked down at their sincere expressions, her eyes welled up. She did not sniff but she stopped her tears. In her emotional state, her tears would cause her makeup to run. She, simply, smiled, glad that she had many people who were willing to support her.

"Now, Taiki, Shinue, Aki, I've already given you your gifts because the three of you are the closest people to me, who always go where I go. I want you to continue to follow me, always. Of course, I'm going to assign another five members to the Shajin very soon."

They all, except Taiki, got down on their knees in front of her.

"We hear Your Majesty's pleas and with our whole hearts, we swear our loyalty to you. Our lives are in hands and we await your command," they said.

"Now, state the names of your weapons and they will be bound to you forever," Natsuki said. She took her own sword and held the blade out in front of her. "You are mine to command, Kanken. The Shajin will answer to no other but me." The blade glowed as a series of characters formed in it.

"With Ryugyoku, I will never leave your side," said Taiki. The white jade at his belt glowed as the characters were carved into it.

Aki's small dagger glowed and a name appeared on it. "With Hansui in my hand, I can protect you."

"I serve you and stand with you wherever you go," said Shinue as her hairpin began to glow. "Baocui and I will protect you and destroy those who try to harm you."

Risai took her sword from her scabbard and held it out in front of her. She said, "Ryukiri will cut down all of those who stand against the queen." The long blade glowed.

"With Jifu in my hand..." said Kokushi.

"... and Tenfu in mine…" added Hakushi,

"... even the Heavens and the Earth will bow before you," they finished in unison. Their spears glowed.

Natsuki left the six of them standing near her throne while she walked down the steps again.

"With all the changes I've enacted today, you may think that I am filling this country with puppets who will be at my beck and call, but these six will be the ones who will cut off my head should I try to destroy Tai," Natsuki said.

She stood in front of the Ministers and all the Shuuko in the court as she spoke. "I have no need for puppets in his country. I need loyal citizens who are not afraid to tell me that I am wrong. I need servants who are not afraid to tell me they have ideas they'd like to share whether or not those ideas are better than my ideas. I need people who put Tai and the people of this country themselves. I want all of you to be my partners in making this country a better place. A place where other countries will look to for inspiration.

"I also want a country where the people feel like they have control over their own lives. And so, as of today, I am allowing people in Tai the right to vote. The people of each of the provinces will have the ability to suggest and vote for their Governors and town Lords. When they vote, the results will come to the palace to be analyzed by all the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Chousai, and myself to see if the representative the people chose is worthy of the position. Governors and town Lords shall also be required to be born in their Provinces, or at least have lived there for ten years. Citizens can only vote for a representative in the province of their birth or if they've been living in a new province for more than 10 years. Only, Zui province, under the Taiho, does not apply to these rules. The selection of new Governors and Town Lords will always be every twenty years.

"With that, I also proclaim that all lower officials, unless otherwise, cannot be granted immortality. Anyone who are not a part of the Shajin, the heads of the Six Ministries, or the Sankou, cannot be granted immortality unless it is decided by the Taiho, the Chousai, and the ministers, that the person is indispensable. I'm also giving the heads of the Six Ministries the option, if they wish, to retire after having chosen a successor to their position. I, myself, can also choose to remove a minister from their position if I feel someone can replace them with someone with greater abilities or they've been serving in their positions for too long.

"You may think it is cruel but it is not. I want all the people of Tai to feel like they can succeed in something and reach the top in the country. If everyone who works here is immortal and can never be replaced by new people, then, why do we need such great scholars in Daigakou University? Everyone needs a chance to shine the brightest they can and reach the highest they can go and beyond.

"Lastly, I want the people of Tai to live a fulfilled and happy life. Everyone who works shall have the last two days of the week for themselves. They will be able to relax and re-energize in order to be ready and healthy to work for the next week." She raised her hand in the air and called out loudly, "And so, as of this moment, these declarations shall be my First Ordinance."

She then lowered her voice. "You may think that this is just the fantasy of a naïve young girl who knows nothing about this world, but I know that humans, in whatever world, are hardworking, intelligent, and special. I know that all of them also want to succeed, to prove that there was a reason why they were given life," she said in a low voice. "It may be a fantasy now, but I know that if we put our hands together, this fantasy will definitely be a reality."

She didn't know why but she was suddenly becoming emotional. Her heart was beating fast beat, her chest hurt, but she stopped the tears again. She felt great joy and pride welling up inside her as she stood before these people who were the hope of her kingdom. She wanted to release it and wash them in the same ray of hope she had.

She extended her hand out to them. "To you, I extend my hand, and I ask you to, please, join me and support me in making this kingdom a country full of hope, happiness, and success. I'm not ordering this as Queen, but I'm asking this as someone who deeply loves this country, just as much as you do."

Shouryuu, Yoko, Enki, Rakushun, Enho, and Sonshou smiled. They sat in the corner of the room for the entire conference and said nothing, were deeply moved by Natsuki's words.

Enho looked at her again and nodded. "She will be a most-great and benevolent ruler," he said.

"Yeah," agreed Enki. "She has the power to move people's hearts and make them want to follow her."

"I think Tai will begin to prosper like it used to," added Rakushun. "I'll definitely visit again to study here, someday."

"I can't picture Tai falling under her," said Sonshou.

"I'm looking forward to what kind of kingdom she will build," Yoko said.

Shouryuu got up and began to walk toward the front of the room. Enki and Yoko got up and followed him.

"I will also support Queen Tai," said Shouryuu.

Everyone turned to him as he walked toward Natsuki.

"I am Shouryuu, the King of En. Enki and I and Queen Kei came to see Queen Tai's coronation today," said Shouryuu. "Although I can't speak for Queen Kei, Enki and I will stand with Queen Tai."

"I am Sekiraku, the Queen of Kei. I only recently met Queen Tai but I will, also, give her my full support," said Yoko.

They stood beside Natsuki, facing the ministers.

Rukan, who was now the Chousai, fell to on his palms and lowered his head to the queen. The ministers followed.

"Your Majesty, we thank you for showing us mercy. We will always serve you and we thank the Heavens for giving us and the people of Tai such a magnificent ruler," he stated loudly.

Natsuki walked back to her rooms with her servants following her. Natsuki arrived at her private chamber and sat in the camelback couch in the middle of her living room. Her body fell limp on the couch as she arched her head back. Her eyes closed and she released a heavy sigh. She opened her eyes again, looking at the yellow-gold ceiling.

"Are you okay, sis?"

Natsuki looked at her younger brother who sat next to her on the couch.

"My neck is killing me, my hair is too tight, and this dress is heavy," she complained. She looked at the servants in the room. "All of you can leave," she said, dismissing them. They bowed slightly and left the room, the last one of them closing the door behind her.

She looked at the Shajin standing in front of her. Her lips curved and her eyes gleamed as she smiled at them. "I meant every word I said today. You will be the one who will protect me as well as the ones who will end my life, should the need ever arise. I feel I can trust you with that duty. I'll also recruit others who can do the same."

"But I don't understand," Risai said. "Why would you shift around the entirety of the court and present us with such weapons?"

"I truly mean what I said. And the reason I gave you the weapons was that I wanted to give you power that rivals the force of an entire army." She looked at Aki for a moment. "They could be considered as nuclear weapons by this world's standards," said Natsuki. "In this world, countries cannot war with one another, which is why I'm not worried about it being advertised to other countries. It will also help increase Tai's power because many kings will be looking for ways to give their armies and generals weapons such as these. The first source they'll come to is Tai for the spells and the gyoku and other metals for the weapons."

"So this was just a way to get Tai into the spotlight so that it's easier to trade to increase the country's wealth rapidly," said Kokushi.

Natsuki nodded. "I'm also working with the Daishiku of the Ministry of Works to harvest more minerals and metals that are natural to Tai in order to make better armor and weapons for the armies. They'll also get new uniforms, stronger chariots, and new breeds of youjyuu to mount."

Hakushi sat beside her. He placed his hands on her shoulder. As she turned to him, he looked deeply into her eyes, her red reflecting in his deep blue. "You seem very worried about something," he said. "There's a lot of fear in your eyes and you speak as though you are preparing for war."

Natsuki gasped. She closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head. She placed her hands on her face.

The others looked at each other, worried about what could be troubling the new queen.

Natsuki opened her mouth and spoke softly, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "I had this horrifying nightmare when I was on Mt. Hou, the day before the Tenchoku. Somehow, armies of the other world made their way to this world. They completely annihilated the armies of the kingdoms with their more advanced weapons, and the entire world laid to waste. Rulers, Kirin, and everyone died. Maybe it was just my own worries of my failures manifesting themselves as a war but it was petrifying." She lifted her head up, scanning the room at all the others. "So I decided that I would protect Tai from any foreign enemy and even from myself. That is why I'm creating the Shajin."

Natsuki looked at them with great worry in their eyes as they exchanged glances. To her surprise, they simply smiled at her.

"There's nothing to worry about," Taiki said. "You're not going to lead this kingdom to its downfall."

"If you do, we'll carry out your order and kill you," Kokushi said.

"If an enemy from another world attacks, there will be no need to fear," added Shinue. "You gave us these weapons for a reason. And we will use them to fight for you."

"But…" she stopped when she felt another hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Aki also smiling at her.

"Onee-chan, if you can't believe in yourself, then believe in us who believe in you," he said.

Natsuki's eyes widened for a moment but she then smiled. "Quoting _Gurren Lagann_ is so not fair."

"But it worked, right?" Aki said.

Natsuki giggled softly before it turned into complete laughter. "Alright," she said. "I will believe in you just as you believe in me. We'll make this kingdom prosper together."

There were many changes to Tai's court. As the refugees returned from their host countries, they gained monetary and housing support from the government. The queen had many homes and shelters built to help house the refugees until the land was recovered and could be redistributed among the people. She created many jobs with a new canal system that ran through the country to make movement easier within the provinces throughout the kingdom. There were boatmen who were hired to escort people across the canals and other who were hired to maintain and keep the canal clean. The canal provided water to many different towns around the kingdom and the water was purified through a new irrigation system.

She also created a delivery system, in which it would only take a few days to travel between provinces to deliver goods. She hired much more people in the palace as maids and servants that cleaned the palace every day. She also assigned people to train the new workers in the affairs of the palace, to read and write, and the laws of the palace.

Natsuki created a system in which the people in even the most remote villages and towns in the provinces would be aware of what was happening in the country. Like a newspaper system but it was to tell the people of any emergencies, any decrees, or any new laws made by the queen. The announcements and decrees of were written on paper and posted on a board in the center of the towns with the queen's seal at the end, and everyone was to hear and obey. These were handled the Taisai in the office of the Ministry of Heaven.

There were a lot of new and big projects that Natsuki was enacting throughout the entire kingdom. With taxes and the extra money they acquired from selling useless things that made their homes in the palace, she raised enough money to hire engineers to work on a series of cities that she wanted to build all along the shores of Tai. The cities were to act as trading centers where goods would be imported from other kingdoms and exported to other kingdoms from Tai.

There was a lot of reforms under how the people would also lead their personal lives as well. New shops, cafes, and bars opened in the city streets. Luxury was something that the queen wanted to make available to all the people, instead of just the rich.

There were a lot of changes in the government, as well. With the creation and reform of education policies and scholarships, many young men were coming to the cities to study so they could have a chance in their lifetimes to work in the country's government. Scholarships allowed smart men with little money enter big universities without paying too much. Now status and power were gained through merit instead lineage and connections.

The queen also encouraged young women to participate and take advantages of the new policies put in place. No one would discriminate or stand against them from getting any job they wanted. With some encouraging words from the queen, some young women also began joining the armies, working in the clinics, and going to university. Though it was a small number, it was a big improvement that Natsuki was proud of.

Many people looked up to the queen, including those in other nations. Her tight hold on the ministers and the government, her value in the capabilities of her people, and her overall inspiring nature spread like wildfire through all the Twelve Kingdoms. There was no one who hadn't heard her name. In just two years after her ascension to the throne, she'd sparked drastic and positive changes in the country.

The one problem she was having trouble with was ending the civil war within Tai's provinces. The provincial leaders were mobilizing their provincial armies without the queen's permission and meeting at the borders of the capital province.

She sat in her office, receiving reports from several towns that people were running and they didn't know what to do. Duels were breaking out between individuals in the streets, which led to the destruction of a lot of properties.

She met in her office with Taiki, the Daishiba, and the Chousai. She slid a box across her desk to the Daishiba. He opened the box, his eyes gleaming in awe at the five gold plates in the box. There was a series of characters imprinted on the plate, reading vertically. The first character washer regnal, Chiouhi, and her title of Tai-Ou.

"Your Majesty." The Daishiba looked up at her from the box.

Natsuki linked her fingers together with her elbow on the table and rested her chin on the back of her hands. "Those plates are representative of me and my authority. Mobilize the royal army and have the generals have the provincial armies surrender. I've also written a decree that says that anyone who holds one of these plaques is a representative of the queen and must be treated as any would treat me. If anyone stands against a person in possession of those plates, they will have stood against the queen and will be tried for treason."

"But Your Majesty these things are dangerous if they were to fall into the wrong hands…"

"Oh, I'm aware of that, which is why you will be accountable for them and having them returned to my office after use," Natsuki said. Natsuki pushed out her chair and walked toward one of the doors connected to the office. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see my brother."

 **To better explain what's going on:**

 **1\. Each of the swords and weapons have names. Like Yoko's sword, Suigu. Jifu (Kokushi), Tenfu (Hakushi), Kanken (Natsuki), Hansui (Aki), Baocui (Shinue), and Ryukiri (Risai). Ryugyuku (Taiki's jade pendant) is the only one that's not a weapon. It's like a homing device. or a distress signal. Natsuki gave it to Taiki in the last chapter. If he's in distress, her jade pendant on her sword will also glow and she'll know where he is.**

 **2\. The weapons have special abilities (just like how Suigi can see in the past, future, and places far away). But these abilities come from special enchantments. Think of them like a magic spell. (Remember when Yoko and Rakushun went to Genei Palace with Enki and Shouryuu, the stairs did something and Rakushun said there was a spall cast on them (episode 10 or 11)).**

 **3\. If anyone has any questions, please (google them first because most of the terms and explanations can be found in the 12 Kingdoms Wikia page). Then, if you can't find an answer, you can leave your questions and comments in the review inbox and I'll try to clarify and explain as much as I can.**

 **The Twelve Kingdoms is a complex world so it's fun to play with the natural laws of that world. I'm currently manipulating its natural laws to fit what I need for my story. Please don't say "well it wasn't like that in the anime or light novels."**

 **Oh, I have a question for some people. If anyone wants to answer go ahead: DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND ENGLISH TRANSLATED COPIES OF THE LIGHT NOVELS?**

 **Thanks again. Look forward to the next chapter.**

 **Bye!**


	16. Chapter 14: Family Matters

**I'm back. I had some extra time since my professor decided to cancel today's class. Big thanks to everyone who are still supporting me.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Twelve Kingdoms. This is all for fun**

 **Ch. 14: Family Matters**

It was a month after the coronation. Natsuki discovered that rumors were circulating in the palace about Aki and his involvement and influence in official palace affairs. This caused her a lot of distress. She knew that Aki was young and knew nothing of this new world that he would live in forever. Additionally, as a prince, his title held no power or any influence in the royal court. In short, he was a loose cannon and good bait to use against the queen. He was her younger brother. Adopted or not, he is the sibling that Gyousou and Tsukiko never bore. If anything were to ever happen to him, it would mean Natsuki's destruction.

One night, about eighteen months ago, she and the Shajin were eating together, having their weekly dinner. It was something she wanted to do, like back on Earth, for them to eat together like a family. She also organized a state dinner once a month for her entire court.

One night at dinner, she said to Aki, "Aki, I've assigned you a tutor to learn about this world and how the court works. I've also assigned someone to teach your horseback riding, archery, and swordsmanship."

Aki looked at her. He wasn't sure but her voice told him that there was something coming from under the surface.

"You'll have a schedule and be tutored five days a week for six months," Natsuki continued. "After that, I've planned for you to go study in En."

Then his eyes widened. The chair skidded loudly on the ceramic floors as Aki stood up abruptly and slammed his hands on the table. He turned his head to Natsuki, who was still finishing the food on her plate. His mouth moved, silently, unable to speak, as he looked at his sister, who was looking back at him with unfamiliar eyes. He couldn't tell if it was because of all the work or just that she no longer thought of him as family. He was unable to interpret her expression.

In horror, his voice trembled, "Yo- you're sending me… awa-," he swallowed as he tried to find the words, "away?"

Natsuki looked at him, not letting any emotions show on her face. "I've also removed you from the Registry of Immortals. You'll have to start to learn this world's language without any help," Natsuki explained. "You'll be back to Tai when you're ready to enter Daigakou. Everything will be prepared and paid for. Go and become someone useful to me. You will not return to this palace until you do."

"Fine," Aki said loudly. His eyes raged when they met Natsuki's as he deeply furrowed his brow. "I'll get out of your hair. I don't know anything so I don't fit in this place, anyway," said Aki. He walked off and out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Natsuki sighed heavily and slouched in her chair, throwing the chopsticks carelessly onto the plate. She raised her hand to her face, letting her hair fall over her eyes.

"I don't understand."

She looked at Risai.

"If he stayed with you, I'm sure he'd learn more about the royal court. The brothers and I could also help him learn swordsmanship," said Risai.

Natsuki shook her head. "That's just spoiling him. I don't have time to be teaching and babysitting Aki when I, myself, have a lot to learn." She looked at the brothers and at Risai. "You and the brothers, also, have your own responsibilities, so I can't ask you to do that for me." Her eyes lowered as she looked at her plate. She furrowed her brow and gritted her teeth as she dug her nails into her closed palms. "Plus, it's better this way. I want the people who spread those rumors about Aki and his position in the royal court to bite their tongues when he becomes the first person in this country to gain the title of Haku."

All the others at the table gasped. There's never been anyone who held the title of Count in Tai. Even the Six Ministers under the Chousai were only Keihaku. Wanting Aki to gain a title that was higher than the Chousai and the Six Ministers seemed like a dream the queen has that will never be realized.

"But is that possible?" asked Shinue.

"It is. I know my brother. He's even smarter than me. Once he learns the language I'll send him to En to study well before I bring him back so he can go to Daigakou University," Natsuki explained.

The room came back into focus when she heard someone say, "Chi."

Natsuki jumped when she turned to see Hakushi standing right behind her.

"Oh, Haku, you scared me," she said, raising her head up to see his face.

Hakushi and Kokushi were over eight feet tall and would be considered giants on Earth. Their Hanjuu forms were huge that they could fit several people on their backs.

"Chi, are you going out today?" Hakushi asked in a soft voice. "It's dangerous for you to go out alone. Let me come with you."

Natsuki looked at him. She turned away from him. She placed her sword in the sheath and placed the sword inside a black carrying case, that strapped diagonally over her shoulders. She turned and looked at him.

"You're coming even if I say no, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Hm."

"Fine, let's go."

He had a break from his classes for the next few hours until they had to attend their archery class. He'd been doing this for a while since he came to Daigakou University, and it was nothing compared to practicing in Hakkei Palace or in En.

Aki placed his books on the bookshelf in his room and left.

As he walked to the dining room, it was relatively silent and not many people were looking and whispering about him. At first, everyone was spreading rumors about him for being an overprivileged kid who used his family's influence to enter Daigakou at the age of sixteen. After having proved himself in his studies for the past month, he made some friends and the rumors died down.

"Hey, Souun."

"Huh?" He almost didn't recognize his own name. After he was crown prince, he was granted the name Souun but his sister.

Aki looked up at the young man with long lilac hair and sharp green eyes. He had very pale skin and a very soft and soothing voice when he spoke.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry, Senya. What did you say?"

"What's the matter with you lately?" asked the other who was sitting on his left.

"You were thinking about your sister again, weren't you?" Senya asked.

Aki looked up at him and lowered his eyes again, at the plate of food in front of him.

"You don't talk about her much and when you do, you always said she sent you away to En, without adding anything else," Senya said.

"I'll tell you about it but maybe another time," Aki said.

He and Senya walked through the school grounds as they headed back to their dorms. The other guy who was eating with them had classes that afternoon.

As they reached the garden behind the dorms, Aki's eyes fell on the back of a woman with white hair fluttering in the wind with a large sword on her back. There was a large man standing next to her, who also had white hair. Aki's big eyes remained on Haku when he turned around to face them. When he saw Haku smiling gently at him, Aki's body tensed as his eyes drifted to his sister. As she turned her head, her eyes fell on him that she smiled sweetly at him, warming his heart at the sight of her.

"Souun," she said. She stood up and walked up to him. "How've you been?"

Aki looked at her. She was gentle and warm as she touched his face, almost as if they were just as they used to be before she exiled him from home.

Aki's heart turned cold again. He smacked her hand away as he turned away from her.

"I see that you're still angry with me about what happened," Natsuki said as she clasped her hand with the other. "You've grown."

"Of course, I have," Aki remarked, "it's only natural for a fourteen-year-old to grow over two years." He raised his head and looked up at her with his sharp eyes piercing hers. "Now why are you here? To welcome me home?"

Natsuki smiled. She shook her head. "No. I'll welcome you home when you set foot on the grounds. At that time, there'll be a celebration in your honor and you'll get the best clothes and the best foods." Natsuki's eyes fell on the young man standing next to Aki. "Souun, who's your friend?"

The young man nodded his head slightly to her. Natsuki did the same.

"Senya, this is my elder sister," Aki said as he turned to his friend.

"Nice to meet you," Senya said, nodding once more.

"My name is Natsuki and this is Hakushi." She raised her hand, motioning to Haku standing behind her. "Thank you for taking care of my little brother. I'm very busy with family matters so I don't have very much time to take care of him."

Aki turned to his friend. "Senya, can you give us a minute?"

Senya nodded. They waited until he was out of sight to continue their conversations.

"What are you doing here, Natsu?"

"I came to see you," she answered. "You've been in Tai for a month now so I dumped a lot of my responsibilities on the ministers and came to see how you're adjusting." She touched the long ends of his black hair, passing her fingers through the thin strands. "Your hair grew longer," she said as she continued to play with it.

Aki pulled his hair from her hand. "Yeah, well, I liked it this way so I didn't cut it." Aki walked away from her. "I'm going back to my room." Then he stopped and turned to her again. "Did you get the letter from Shouryuu?"

"Yeah. He wants me to meet him in Kei, with Yoko."

"Well, why are you still here? Get going."

Natsuki was surprised at first but then smiled. "Okay, I'll be on my way," she said. "Make sure to work hard and succeed okay."

"Who did you think you're talking to?" He asked. He turned around again and watched back as she walked away with Haku, still waving her hand without looking back. Aki smiled. "I will," he whispered. "I'll be back home soon with great success."

As he disappeared, Natsuki put her hand down and her face fell downcast. She knew very well that Aki could never hate her, but his sharp attitude and cold expressions cut through her like a knife. What hurt more was the fact that she knew she put it there, even if it was for his own good.

When Aki opened the door to his dorm room, she found Senya sitting at a desk doing work. When he closed the door, Senya turned around, smiling at him.

"Welcome home, Souun."

Aki smiled back. As Aki walked over to his desk in the common room in the door, he could feel Senya's eyes trailing him. Aki sat down on the couch in the room middle of the room and looked at Senya. "You can ask," he said, "I'll answer."

"What happened to you and your sister?" Senya asked. He got up from his desk and sat next to Aki.

"She's the head of the family, and I'm an adopted son. I'm a Kaikyaku," Aki said. "Rumors started flying around about me about being given special privileges in the house and then all of a sudden she ordered me to go to En." Aki's eyes lowered to his lap. "My sister and I were best friends and we would always rely on each other no matter what. I don't understand why she suddenly changed and sent me away. She probably didn't want rumors going on about her."

He paused for a moment. Silence washed over the room as the boys sat next to each other, without a word, and without motion.

"You are right."

Aki's eyes shot up to Senya's. He was looking to Senya for reassurance; he was looking for another perspective that he, himself, hadn't thought of. Senya was always the kind of person who was soft-spoken, but wise for his young age. He could always see through barriers and other perspectives that he could be Taisai one day, but his response wasn't was Aki was hoping for.

"Souun, you're misinterpreting whatever happened between you and your sister."

But now, Aki was confused. "Huh?"

"You're right that your sister didn't want rumors flying around but it was because she was afraid of how those rumors would affect your well-being instead of how it would affect hers." Senya looked at Aki's confused expression. He continued on, "From your interactions with her today, I can tell that she really cares for you. She might've sent you away for your own good. She probably sent you away because she wanted you to create a place for yourself in the family so that no one would say you had any special privileges."

Aki's eyes widened. He realized why she took away his immortality, why she had him learn this world's language, and why she sent him to En. He was a piece of string that was attached to her and could easily be cut off if he stayed in the palace, completely ignorant of everything that was happening around him. She wanted him to learn and succeed in creating his own place and obtain his own power in the palace. She put him where he is because she wanted him to reach the top on his own instead of people saying that "it's because he's the brother of the queen".

"You're right," Aki told Senya. "Thanks for helping me realize this."

The next morning, when he woke up, Aki went to class as usual. When the teacher called on him, he participated and answered the question as usual. He was one of the best students in his class and would be graduating within the next two years, along with Senya. But Senya wasn't in class at all today. He wasn't there when Aki checked in him that morning and he wasn't at breakfast, and now he's not in class. He's never missed a class before.

Aki looked at the empty seat beside him, still wondering where Senya could've disappeared to. Then, the teacher called his name and asked him a question. Aki stood up, answered, and sat back down in his chair. When class ended, he found his friend, Keita.

"Hey, Keita, where's Senya?" he asked.

"Didn't you hear?" said Keita. "Early this morning, an envoy from the palace came for him. I heard that he's the youngest son of the Ba province governor." Keita just walked away from Aki.

Aki ran off the school campus, to the streets toward Mt. Kouki. _"The son of the Ba provincial governor? If I remember correctly, Ba province has been in civil war with Zui and the other provinces a lot,"_ Aki thought as he ran. _"I hope sis isn't going to use him as leverage to get to his father."_ Aki shook his head. _"No. Natsu would never do such a thing."_

Senya slept well. It was the best sleep he'd had in months. Who knew the best rest he'd have would be as a prisoner under house arrest in the royal palace.

He woke up just like every other morning. After he bathed and dressed, he decided to explore where he was and found a giant library in another room. He picked up a few books and made his way to the backyard. There was a small body of water surrounded by a bed of rocks. There were small bushes and flowers on parallel sides of the yard, with a table in the middle, between the door and the lake. He walked to the edge of a few rocks and saw that he was at a high peak on the mountain. He could see many buildings with workers coming in and out of them even though it was early morning. He looked up and saw the highest peak of the mountain, where only one building stood. It was the place where all court sessions were held. He saw a series of buildings a little lower, making him infer that they were the queen's residence.

"Such a lovely place," he said to himself. "Two years ago, not a single thing could grow here."

"Excuse me, my lord. I've brought your breakfast."

Senya turned to see the maid standing at the door, holding a large silver tray with many plates of food on it. "Please put it on the table." The maid did as she was told, bowing before she left. Senya sat down at the table, with the breakfast tray in front of him and the stack of books on his left. The tray had a plate with a few slices of bread and another plate with a thick slice of cheese. His main plate had a few pan-fried eggs, what the hell a plate with a slice of bacon and finally a plate of food with an empty glass and a jug of iced water.

"I wonder if they treat all their prisoners this well," he said out loud to no one in particular. He looked up at the peak of the mountain. "To willingly come here as a prisoner…" he paused, "I hope the queen got my message."

Then he heard a soft laughter echoing through the air. He looked left and right and all around him until he saw a shadow of a person in a tree. He looked up and saw a young girl with green eyes and brown hair standing on a large tree branch as she laughed while looking down at him.

"Hey, get down from there, that's dangerous," he said.

"Hahahaha." He heard the girl laugh. "You're a real idiot, aren't you?" she said to him. "You've been arrested by the queen, your father's enemy, yet you offer her your help and willingly became her prisoner. You must be an idiot," she repeated.

Senya walked up under the branch where he saw her standing. He then saw her foot slip from the branch and she fell backward. He extended out his arms, catching her before she landed on the ground. She was heavier than he had expected but he stood his ground and caught her. Senya sighed with relief. "What were you doing up there? You could've died," he scolded.

With her arm around his neck as he held her, she looked at him and smirked. "Who do you think I am? Instead of worrying about how I was going to get down, you should've been wondering how I got up there. Well, anyway, I thank you for catching me. Now you can put me down."

He lowered her feet to the ground as she released her arms from his neck. The girl tapped the skirt of her dress and stood up straight, looking at him. She placed her hand on her chest. "My name is Aki Saku. I am Tai-Ou's younger sister."

Senya got on his knees and bowed his head. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean to scold you, princess," said Senya

"You may stand," she said. She walked over to the table and sat in the chair. "Come. Why don't we have breakfast together." She dumped all the bacon on the eggs and placed the empty plate in front of her.

"So, idiot, I'm sure you know why my sister brought you here, yet you're such a willing prisoner." She looked at him, while he still had his head lowered, standing away from the table. "You're giving me a headache like that. Just sit down and eat. You don't have to be respectful. I'm just a princess with no real position in this palace." She finished making her sandwich with one slice of bread beneath one egg, some bacon, a slice of cheese between another egg and some pieces of bacon and the final bread slice on top. She looked at him again and motioned to the chair. "Sit. Eat," she said before putting the sandwich in her mouth and taking a bite.

Senya sat down. He looked at the princess then the plate in front of him. He grabbed his chopsticks and began to eat.

They ate together in silence with the princess occasionally sneaking glances at Senya as he ate. It didn't look like he'd be willing to answer.

While Senya was picking at his food, "Aki" finished eating and picked up one of the books.

Soon Senya finished as well and placed his chopsticks on the plate. "Your Majesty, please use me."

"Aki" looked up from the good and looked at him with his head bowed low towards the table. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Please use me to end the civil war. My father is stubborn and refuses to understand that there is no need to continue fighting this war. He won't stop. You can use me however you wish: as a bargaining chip, as a war prisoner, as a traitor. I'll do whatever you ask," Senya said.

"Raise your head, Senya."

Senya raised his head. The little girl still sat before him as her eyes locked on his.

"How did you know that I wasn't who I said I was?"

"From what I know, the queen is the daughter of the former king, Gyousou Saku and she has very distinct features just like him with white hair and red eyes. Aki is Souun's name from Hourai, and Saku is the family name of the queen. Unless you're also Kaikyaku adopted like Souun, you are his one and only sister, the queen of Tai. In addition, it only makes sense for the queen to come check in on her prisoner." Senya looked at her. "The only thing I cannot understand is why you look like a little girl. It must be some kind of enchantment."

She remained silent, looking at Senya's deep turquoise eyes as he shed the skin she wore. A smirk crept up the side of her lips. In a moment, their surroundings began to crack, like glass. It shattered but to Senya, everything nothing looked out of place.

"Did you hear that, Shinue? You were right. He is very observant."

Shinue came from the door that opened to the yard, with the queen's sword in her hand.

When she handed the sword to the girl, Senya watched as the little girl in front of him turned into a fully grown woman with bright white hair and red eyes.

"My given name from birth is Natsuki Saku. I am the Queen of Tai and currently hold the formal name Chiouhi, meaning blood princess for I am the blood daughter of the previous king, Gyousou Saku. The reason you saw me as a child is because of the power of my sword. It allows me to create an illusion field that confuses all the senses and gives you a different perception of space and time, hence the name, Kanken. The best thing about it is, the enemy doesn't realize they're in an illusion. It's very nice to meet you, Senya." She looked at him. "Now, then, shall we continue our conversation earlier."

But before they could continue talking, a soldier came running into the yard. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"What is it?" Natsuki asked.

"Prince Souun is at the gates and is asking to see you right away," the guard explained.

"What?!" Natsuki's eyes widened. She stood abruptly, slamming her hands on the table. "I already said that Souun is not allowed in the palace for the next few years."

"Yes, but he's trying to force his way through to ask you to release his friend," the guard explained.

Natsuki looked at Senya and sighed. She smiled at him. "It looks like we both saw this coming."

Senya nodded as he smiled back at her. "Yes, we did," he answered. "He's not the kind of person who would sit still if he thought that his friend was being persecuted for something he didn't do."

"You know him well," Natsuki replied. "But this is all your fault. If only you didn't write me that letter. I hope you're not the reason my brother and I begin to drift apart."

"I'm actually the reason why he understands you," Senya replied.

"Prince Souun, please calm down. I'm sorry but we'll get in trouble if we let you through the gate," said one of the guards as he tried to block Aki from getting passed the main palace gates within the base of the mountains.

"Let me through," Aki yelled as he fought against them, "I need to speak to my sister."

"Aki, stop that."

He looked over into the distance and saw Natsuki standing in front of him in her casual clothing with Shinue by her side and her sword in her hand. He stood in front of her, staring at her while everyone else was on their hands and knees bowing to her.

"Sis, why did you do it? Where is he? Where's Senya?"

Natsuki placed her hand and her hip. "For your information, I didn't do anything. It was your friend who wrote me a letter and I had someone go meet with him," she said.

"What? Senya did that?"

"That's right, Souun."

Souun's eyes trailed past his sister and saw his friend standing behind her.

"I'm sorry I had you worried but I needed to do this for myself so I willingly became the queen's pawn in order to stop all the horrible things my father has done," Senya said.

"But why?" Aki asked.

Senya walked closer to Aki. "I may look like a twenty-year-old but I've been a Sennin for almost 10 years. I went to Daigakou a few years ago in order to be away from my father. I was running from all the horrible things he did so I never allowed myself to graduate. Then, I met you and decided that it was time for me to stop running. I wrote a letter to the palace and told the queen to use me in order to bring my father down and stop the civil war."

"Aki, you'll be coming along too," Natsuki said.

"What?"

"Both of you are coming." Natsuki turned around walking back toward the center of the palace in the highest point of the mountain. "Shinue, send a letter to Risai in Ba Province and gather all of the Shajin. We have a war to end."

"Yes, ma'am," Shinue answered formally.

 **A/N: Aki's courtesy name is Souun (pronounced so - oon). A courtesy name in a name someone is given when's they become an adult. His sister gave him that name. It's like Shoukei. Her real name is Sonshou, but her father gave her the name Shoukei when he became king. Natsuki did the same thing. If you can't figure it out, don't think too much about it. Just know that he has two names**


	17. Chapter 15: Putting Down the Rebellion

**Hello. I'm back. It's a few weeks before finals then break. I finished a few chapters over the past few days and thought I'd give you all a treat.**

 **Twelve Kingdoms does not belong to me but to Fuyumi Ono. Please enjoy and have fun.**

 **Ch. 15: Putting down the rebellion**

Natsuki used one of her personal buildings as headquarters and residence for the Shajin. There was a central office with floors designed like a large chessboard with black and white tiles with the area of one square meter all over the floor. The room was completely white, black, and red, as a representative of the colors that she chose to represent the Shajin. Natsuki sat behind her desk against the window at the back of the room with all of them standing in front of her.

"Everyone, say hello to our new friend, Senya. As of today, he's a member of the Shajin," Natsuki said.

Senya's eyes widened at the unexpected announcement. He leaned over her desk. "Wait a minute. I just told you to use me as a bargaining chip; not be a member of your personal bodyguards. Plus," he lowered his voice, "I'm the son of your enemy."

"That doesn't matter. I value loyalty and merit above blood and lineage. You're also a wise person who would make a great general. I may even assign you to be my Taishi one day," Natsuki explained. "And I am using you…" she paused, "just not as a hostage. You wouldn't make a good hostage since your father doesn't care for you as much as his other children. To him, you're a failure and an unwanted thorn in his foot. He can't even stand the sight of you, so you'd just be a worthless bargaining chip and hostage."

Aki looked at his sister, his eyes twitching at the foul comments coming out of her mouth as she spoke to Senya. "Are you complimenting him or abusing him?"

Natsuki ignored him. "As I was saying, your family members are fools for not recognizing your value. I'm taking advantage of that fact and using you for my personal goals and purposes. You're a very honest and upright person. It takes a lot of strength and valor to stand against your parent and your siblings." She rested her chin resting on the back of her hands with her elbows on the table. She closed her eyes, seeing the image of her parents flash before her eyes. "I know it's something I would never be able to do." Her eyes shifted to Aki and back to look at Senya. "I have a much greater use for you by my side than here under house arrest." Natsuki lifted a box from under the desk and placed it out in front of her. "Kokushi, would you please do the honors?"

Kokushi nodded. He walked up to the desk and took the long box in his hands. He opened it and picked up the foot long folding fan with both hands. He held it out to Senya. "Senya, Her Majesty has chosen you to become the new member of our family. The only purpose we serve is to cherish her, protect her, and support her until the end of time." He extended the fan out to Senya.

Senya looked at the Queen, at Kokushi, and at everyone else in the room. They were all smiling and nodding to him to accept the fan and seemed so pleased to welcome him.

It was strange. He'd never seen something like this. He was simply going to school and extending his knowledge while running from his family and his responsibilities. He thought of himself as no more than a coward, yet these people, who just met him, see him as something more. They see him as a comrade, as a family, that they would trust and go into battle with. It almost brought tears to his eyes.

His hand seemed to have extended and accepted the fan by its own will. It would be a new beginning. A chance to stop running and find his place in the kingdom. His eyes darted up at Natsuki sitting behind her desk. An eternity in the service of this woman would be fine.

"Thank you," Senya whispered. He held the fan in his hand, looking at the small curved jade on the wooden side of the fan with a pair of characters appearing as he held it. He opened the fan and saw a drawn landscape of Mt. Kouki with the black Kirin flying toward the mountain.

"Senya."

His eyes turned to the queen.

"What we do here isn't a matter of master and subordinate. We are a family. I welcome criticism as well as advice and all types of scolding," Natsuki said. "If I do something that you do not agree with, speak up and explain yourself. I am simply a young girl who's trying to govern a kingdom. I want my family - the people I trust most in this world - to share the burden with me."

Senya dropped to his hands and knees, prostrating before her. "I accept, Your Highness. I promise that Fuha and I will always be at your side."

"Hm," Natsuki nodded. "I'm counting on you. Now, all of you go change into your uniforms."

/ _break_

They all gathered back in the room again, now dressed in red and black uniforms. They wore red semi-baggy pants inside black knee boots with metal armor plates on the shins, just below the knees. They wore a white satin thin sleeved shirt under a large-sleeved black vest tied at the waist with a metal, where their swords would hang by their sides. The golden breastplate was visible under their large, flowing breastplates. They wore golden metal arm protectors under their large sleeves.

Aki pulled at the sleeve of his vest to make the uniform fit perfectly. He looked down at himself and at the others in the room. Together, they looked like a group of outstanding celebrities who walked out of the covers of a magazine. He looked at his sister. "This is like your greatest anime fantasy come true, isn't it?"

Natsuki turned to him, smiling brightly. "I know, right," she said. "While I was designing these, I thought, why not add some fantasy European and Asian flair to it like they do in anime and video games but also make them pop out on the battlefield." She looked at the Shajin. "They fit perfectly and they're practical for battles instead of the heavy leather armor that the regular soldiers wear."

Finally, there was a loose, red, large sleeved cardigan, with black and gold hems that fit over the uniform nicely down to all the way to their calves. On the back of it was a set of characters that had the characters for _Tai-Ou_ , her ruling title - which every king of Tai receives upon coronation, receiving the title of peace-king - in big bold letters above _Chiouhi_ , Natsuki's regnal name. On the front on the left side of the chest was a gold embroidery of six swords on it.

"I want you all to carry an extra sword and not rely too much on your enchanted weapons." Everyone took a sword and placed it on their belts. Natsuki looked at Aki, Senya, and Shinue. "How are you with swords?"

"I can defend myself on a two-on-one fight," Aki said.

"I'm very good in combat with weapons," Senya replied.

Natsuki looked at Shinue. "I've made progress in training," Shinue said, unsurely.

"Then, don't leave my side," said Natsuki. She walked ahead of them. She turned swiftly, moving her flowing cardigan aside like a flowing red cape. "Let's go."

/ _break_

One of the soldiers of the army ran to the General on the high walls of the provincial capital, overlooking the Army of Right of the Forbidden army under the authority of General Risai.

"General?"

"Why aren't they moving?" asked the general. "Our provincial lord has clearly defied a decree directly from the queen, which classifies this as a rebellion, yet, the army just sits there. They seem to be setting up a camp."

"Could it be that the queen ordered them not to move?" asked the soldier.

"Perhaps, but why?"

"General, Air Cavalry is incoming," another soldier called.

"What?" The General looked into the sky in the distance and saw figures coming toward the gates. He squinted to see with the blinding sun behind the creatures in the sky. "Strange," he said. "I can only see six flyers." As they approached closer he got a closer looked at the flyer in front of everyone. It was a woman with flowing white hair reflected in the lights of the sun riding on the black Kirin. "The queen!? What is the queen doing here?"

The soldiers scrambled at the sight of the Kirin and the Forbidden Army prostrating as the Kirin and the other flyers stopped above the army. While the others with her stopped at a distance. the Queen and the Kirin continued toward them.

"She's coming this way," said one of the soldiers as he shook with an arrow on the bow drawn in his hands. "What should we do?"

"Hold fire," the General ordered. "Do not fire at the queen and the Taiho."

As she reached the wall, everyone got down on their knees and hands and lowered their heads to the ground in front of her.

"I demand to speak to the general of the Ba Provincial Army," Natsuki said. "If that is you, raise your head."

The General raised his head. "I am the General of the Ba Provincial Army."

"I am the Queen of Tai and I command you to surrender to the Forbidden Army," Natsuki said.

The General bowed to her. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I've been ordered by my master not to surrender."

"Is that so?" Natsuki asked. She looked down at him from her seat on the Kirin's back. "Then, is your master's words worth more to you than a royal decree?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Is following your master's orders more important than your life?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Then, I hope your soldiers feel the same way. I have an obligation to all the people of Tai and I cannot turn a blind eye when your master has committed so many crimes against those people. Don't blame me for being cruel after I've given you so many chances to surrender." her voice lowered to a whisper. "Just like you, I'm just doing my job," Natsuki reasoned. "From this moment forward, this will be viewed as a rebellion. I will soon order the army to attack. This is your last chance."

"I will relay your words to my master," said the General.

Natsuki turned back around toward the Royal Army. When she reached the head of the army, she remained in the air for a moment. "Taiki, I want you to go home."

Taiki looked up at her as he remained in his Kirin form. "But…"

"You'll get sick at the scent of blood if you stay here and you'll be in bed for the next few days. I'll make sure to wash the scent off me before entering the palace. Then, we'll go to Kei," Natsuki said. She smiled. "I'll make sure that it ends quickly. Leave your shirei, Hanshou, with me. Wait for me. I'll be home soon."

"Okay," Taiki said.

Natsuki got off of him in the air and dropped down to the ground, landing perfectly on her feet. She looked up as she watched Taiki fly quickly from the battlefield. She turned toward the army.

"All of you stand up and prepare for battle," Natsuki ordered. "Risai, set up a tent for the command center. I want this battle over by sundown."

The Shajin gathered in the tent as they waited for Natsuki's plan. They all sat around the table with a map of Ba province opened in front of them.

"Your Majesty, I've already set up the 2000 soldiers at the East, West, and South Gates around the capital," Risai reported. "The rest of the army is here at the North Gate."

"Alright," she said. She looked at Senya. "Senya, what do you think your father will do?"

"He's very prideful. I'm sure he'll send someone to tell you that he won't obey your orders. He'll expect you to kill him, which will give him to excuse to attack. I'm sure they start by attacking the wall with his archers," Senya explained.

"Yes, and that's when I'll show him exactly what the Shajin are capable of. I'll have the twins easily jump over the wall after three waves of archers. They'll open the gate and shoot three fire arrows to signal the rest of the army to charge toward the main castle. Then, Risai and her army will charge right through the North Gate," Natsuki explained. "I want as little casualties as possible. All you need to do is secure the castle and the Ba Province Governor alive."

"What about the rest of us?" Aki asked.

"You'll stay here with me," she said.

"General!" A soldier came rushing into the tent and fell on his hands and knees.

"At ease," Risai said. "What is it?"

"The Ba Province Governor has sent us a message."

The man lifted up a paper scroll to Risai. She took it and began to read it out loud. When she finished, she looked up at Natsuki.

"Just as expected," Natsuki said. She looked at the soldier who delivered the message. "Where's the messenger now?"

"He's still here," said the soldier.

"Risai prepare your army to head for the gates. Keep a defensive line as you march forward. Senya, Aki, Shinue, and I will be in the air, and try to help you advance as much as possible." Natsuki turned to the soldier. "Send the messenger on his way, and I will be prepared to shoot him with an arrow as he reaches the main gate. That will be the signal for the opposite side to attack and the signal for us to advance."

And everything went as planned. After Natsuki shot the messenger with an arrow, the enemy attacked with a barrage of assaults. Just as planned, she had Aki, Shinue, and Senya mounted on animals to give Risai's army air support, using their enchanted weapons to deflect or return the arrows right back at the enemy. She watched until she saw the brothers breach the walls before she retreated to her tent, with only one hundred men left guarding it. She left everything else to Risai.

To Aki and the rest, waiting seemed like forever but it seemed like his sister was just sitting there, calculating how much time they had left until this was finished, as she clasped and unclasped her fingers together on the desk in front of her.

"They should be done soon, but something's off," Natsuki said.

"I think so, too" Senya added. He placed his hand on his chin as he looked at the map in front of him. He thought of all the possibilities of what he didn't account for. Then some images flashed in his head and he opened his eyes wide. "I forgot about my brothers," Senya said. "If father placed them on the battlefield, there should've been more of a fight but there wasn't." Then his eyes widened again. "They're coming here for us."

They gasped at the sound of the loud yells and screams and the sound of swords and arrows cutting and piercing flesh. An arrow pierced the top tent and landed on the table. Another barrage of fire arrows landed on top of the tent and some pierced the tent. The fire spread quickly in the tent that they were forced out of the tent, only to find themselves surrounded by a ring of their own soldiers facing an army of enemy soldiers.

"You treacherous little brother."

The soldiers, Aki, and Senya drew their swords while standing in front of Natsuki.

Senya looked over past the royal soldiers and saw two men standing behind the provincial soldiers. They had lilac hair and green eyes, much like him. They were wearing provincial soldier uniforms and armor.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you betrayed father and the rest of us," said one of them. "But now that we have the queen surrounded, I'm sure that the rest of the Forbidden Army in the castle will comply."

"Eien, Sachi," Senya said with his brow furrowed, "I wasn't expecting father to call you two back. A miscalculation on my part."

The one with the bangs laughed. "Did you hear that, Sachi? Our little brother tried to anticipate father's strategies." He looked at Natsuki. "Well, Your Majesty, it's very nice to meet you. You are as beautiful as the rumors" He curtsied to her, both hands before him with a 90-degree deep bow. He stood up straight, once more. "I'm surprised you let a weakling like him join your personal guard."

Natsuki furrowed her brow. She held the sword tightly in her hand, still sheathed with one hand on the grip of the sword. "Shinue," she whispered, "I want you to create a 180-degree barrier around all our soldiers around the tent."

"Yes." The jewels on the hairpin in Shinue's hair glowed a little.

Natsuki walked up a little and stood beside Senya, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You must be Senya's older brothers. It's nice to meet you, too." She squeezed Senya's shoulder. "And I'm sorry but the Royal Army will not be complying to order, except mine. The Queen of Tai will not be a hostage in her own kingdom."

"Oh no, father ordered us to kill you," Eien said.

"Ohh," Natsuki smirked. "I'm afraid you won't get the chance."

Eien raised his hand. Another ring of soldiers behind him raised up their bows and arrows. "Fire."

They released their arrows but all the arrows fell down when they hit what seemed to be an invisible forcefield.

"Aki!" Natsuki called.

Aki took the dagger from his belt. The arrows the enemy fired stopped and turned, pointing toward the enemy. The enemy gasped as the barrage of their own arrows turned on them in a bloodbath, piercing all who fired the arrows. The enemy's eyes widened in horror. All their men who fired the arrows were lying dead on the ground and the Queen and her people barely lifted a finger.

The brothers took their swords and attacked. Natsuki ordered everyone to split up and split the enemy's forces.

The eldest, Eien, attacked Senya. Senya took the extra sword from his belt to parry the strike. "How could you betray your own family?" Eien asked, furiously. He pressed his sword down against Senya's in a fit of anger, his eyes boring into his younger brother's.

"I didn't betray you because you've never thought of me as a member of the family," Senya replied. "You enjoyed murdering people, raping women as you please, and destroying families. I watched it again and again and I could no longer take it so I ran away." Senya pushed his brother away, pressing forward passing all the fighting soldiers, away from his brother. His brother followed him and attacked him again.

"If you couldn't watch you should have just closed your eyes and be the coward you are by continuing to run away," Eien said. "Everything father did was for us. He allowed us to do as we please so we could live a fulfilling life." They stood face to face, blocking each other, with their blades connected to the side.

"Fulfilling life? By imposing on and destroying the lives of others? That is not the kind of life I want to lead," Senya said. He jumped away from his brother.

"Senya, watch your back!"

When Senya looked he saw the queen landing behind him with her sword raised horizontally above her head, blocking a strike from his second eldest brother before she kicked him away.

"You should really be more aware of your surroundings," she said. Natsuki ran toward the second son, leaving Senya to his eldest brother. She attacked with an underhand slash and then a straight vertical overhand.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Natsuki said as she used all her strength to press her sword down on his.

"All I need to do is defeat you. There is no need to speak to you, Your Majesty," he replied. He slanted the sword, forcing Natsuki's to slide off before he punched her in the side of the head. Natsuki stumbled back but quickly regained her composure.

Just as he leaped forward to grab her - the sword in his other hand - he saw her revert to the body of a child letting him loom over her. She suddenly stood behind him and out of her shadow, out of the ground, a black and red beast emerged, taking the arm and ear of the swordsman with it in its mouth as its meal. The surrounding ground was dyed red with his blood, including her face and torso but she did not let that bother her. He saw the space shift and saw her standing there in her adult form. His eyes narrowed, confused as to what had occurred. His arm was still missing and but she was no longer a little girl. Was it an illusion? He saw her grab the handle of her blade with both hands, tightly holding it as she cut horizontally in a straight path, cutting her enemy into two-halves.

Natsuki held the sword with the tip pointing toward the ground as crimson liquid dripped from the shiny metal reflecting the bright orange light of the setting sun. She looked at her dismembered opponent lying on the ground, unmoving with lifeless eyes half-opened and some blood dripping from the side of his mouth. With one hand, she wiped her face with her sleeve, but the blood smeared even more.

Many other battles had already ended except for one. She heard soft panting and hurried footsteps coming toward her.

"Sis."

Aki and Shinue came toward her.

"Are you okay?"

Natsuki nodded to him.

"Your Majesty, your clothes are ripped," Shinue said. She began by wiping the blood off Natsuki's face and chest. Natsuki paid no heed to her servant. She wondered what was happening with the final battle between brothers. Then, there was the sound of a blade that flew off into the air and landed in the earth before them and then the sound of cutting flesh and the scent of fresh blood washed over the entire scene once more.

"It's over," she said. She walked past the almost completely burnt chamois tent. She saw two people standing in the distance in an embrace and the point of a blade through one of them. She saw Senya standing there, with his back to them as he held his elder brother. He let go and his brother slipped off him and into the dirt, leaving a smear of crimson on his already red clothes.

Natsuki looked up at the sky at dusk as the red sun began to disappear over the horizon. It reflected all the bodies and the blood that soaked into the ground. The pungent scent the ashes of burned wood and sheepskin from the tent mixed with the scent of blood filled the air as the wind carried it over the horizon. "Let's finish this and go home. The sun is setting."

/ _break_

She had to take a bath. She sat in the hot tub with the steam rising into her was as she drank one cup after another of the best rice wine from En. She wanted to wash off the blood before she entered Hakkei Palace, or else Taiki would get sick. She looked at the chandelier dangling in from the white ceiling of the Ba Provincial Castle's bath. She thought back to that afternoon. It was her first battle. Being a young queen was not easy. She had always tried to harden herself against people's deaths and all emotions of guilt and sorrow. But, this time she was the one who ordered the deaths of so many people. She was the one who held the blade that cut Senya's brother in half. But strangely, as all those scary thoughts filled her head, she felt nothing. Her heart stopped beating for a moment and began again but she felt no remorse nor any guilt. She would always remind herself that she was only doing her job.

Natsuki walked toward the residence that night after returning to Hakkei Palace. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the future. She'd have to pass a bill soon to have the people elect a new governor for Ba Province, but that would take time. She'd have to have a temporary governor take the position in Ba Province. Maybe Senya? But would the people really want the son of a monster they hated so much to take that monster's place as their new governor?

Natsuki arrived at the base of the steps and looked up. She saw a streak of jet black hair move through the wind and looked to see Taiki standing in front of the residence's front door. She hesitated. What if she still smelled like blood and Taiki suddenly became ill. But, as she looked down, Taiki came and stood in front of her.

"Welcome home," he said, smiling like his usual, kind self.

Natsuki looked up at him. "I did bad things today. I killed people, with words and orders and with my own two hands." She held her hands in front of her, looking down at them as they shook. "I didn't hesitate but now I feel empty. But I had no choice." She began to defend herself loudly to him. "I wanted them to surrender peacefully and gave them multiple chances, but they didn't surrender. So I killed them. I had no choice," she repeated softly as her voice finally cracked and she released her tears.

Taiki took her hand, holding it tightly. "Look," he said, "I'm neither trembling nor do I feel ill. Even though I'm a holy creature who would rather you not have to kill, I'm also the Kirin. I'm your other half. I will bear all your burdens and the lives of the people, including those whose lives you took." He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, holding her close as he helped up the stairs, to the door. Taiki took on the role of the big brother. After he tucked her in, she still held his hand, forcing him to stay at her bedside until she fell asleep.

The next day, Natsuki fell ill. She had no strength and couldn't get out of bed, continuously vomiting everything she ate or drank. She slept the entire day and the Shajin were beginning to worry. They didn't know what to do; not even the doctors could do anything. Immortals don't get sick from disease or anything. Aki diagnosed it wasn't a physical illness but a sickness of the heart and the mind. She was psychologically making herself sick. She was punishing herself.

There was a heavyweight on her shoulders, with ruling over millions of people, with the added burden of the lives she took. She couldn't help herself but get sick. It was the first time she was ever exposed to so much death and blood at once. She didn't know how to cope, and the fact that she did the killing was even more haunting. She may have been queen but she was still a young woman who was thrown into a bloody world, in which she would have to take lives when the time came.

As she slept, she had repeated nightmares and kept mumbling and hyperventilating, saying that she couldn't breathe because of the overwhelming scent of blood. It was all in her head.

She finally woke up, a few days later. Although she could eat, she still was paralyzed and nailed to her bed. Shinue told the others that her eyes were empty and lifeless. None of them knew what to do, as they watched her deteriorate over the past few days.

Senya steeled himself and took her out of bed. He carried her all the way to the stables and took flight toward Ba Province. He sat behind her, supporting her body as they flew over the province.

"Look at them down there. It's only been a few days and there's a fresh air over the city. The people are happier and the children are so full of laughter. These people needed this. What you did brought them peace. I can understand that you may never have killed before, but you have to get used to it. There will be people like my father again who will need to be defeated. For the sake of your people, please wake up. Please… be strong," his voice lowered to a whisper. "These people have nothing to fear because they are thankful." With her back slumped against his chest, he could feel a slight response from her: her heart rate increased. "This is probably not the last time you'll have to kill, but this can't keep happening every time. You're not a Kirin so you can't get sick every time you see blood. You have a responsibility to these people, to protect them. For the betterment of their lives, you have to eliminate those who would make them miserable. It's your job to give them that justice." He looked at her as he held her shoulders tightly. "I also killed my brother. It was a decision I made just like you made the decision to pick up your sword to defend the people of Ba Province. It was a good decision." He placed his hand on her head, passing his fingers lightly over the strands of her white hair in repeated strokes as he tried to soothe her. "The Shajin are all your hands and your weapons. Use us as you please even if we may have to kill our own families in the process. It's what we sign up for when we decide to stand at your side."

After her heart, he could sense no other change in her condition. Her eyes remained blank and her color was still pale. He pulled on the reins of the youjyuu and returned to the palace.

The next morning, when Shinue came in with her breakfast, she was met with an amazing surprise that caused her to drop the tray full of the plates of food. The commotion summoned all the Shajin, who remained close to her quarters to make sure she was safe. They found her sitting behind her desk, reading several reports from the morning court sessions she missed.

"I'm back," she said with her usual bright smile. "Aki, you should be in school."

 **Okay. I Won't be updating until after the finals.**

 **To clarify, much like Suigu, which makes Yoko see past, and future and show her endless illusions, Natsuki's sword can also create illusions. It tricks the human senses to see something that's not really there.**

 **Each fo the Shajin's weapons have a name and a specific set of abilities. Look forward to meeting the rest of the Shajin.**

 **The second arc is almost over. After Chapter 16, arch 3 will begin.**

 **Thank you for all your support. Don't forget to comment.**

 **Ciao**


	18. Chapter 16: Vision of Dark Times

**Ch. 16: Visions of Dark Times**

 **Hi. I'm back. This is the last chapter in this arc. I don't own the Twelve Kingdoms. All credit goes to Fuyumi Ono.**

 _Thwack!_

"Again."

Natsuki picked up an arrow from atop the table beside her and placed the end of the arrow with the feathers on the string. A low grunt escaped from her lips as tried to use as much strength as she could manage to pull back the string and release the arrow towards the target. But she missed. The arrow fell many paces from the target, on the ground, between the garden of the tens of arrows that were already planted.

"Again," Kokushi said again. He was in charge of training Natsuki in weapons and martial arts. Today was the day for archery. He stood to her left, a great distance from Natsuki, between her and the target.

"Koku-"

"Again," he repeated, interrupting her before she finished.

"But I've been firing arrows for an hour already," Natsuki whined. She placed the bow down and shook her arm. "My arms hurt a lot. Don't you think it's enough already?"

"Your Majesty, you need to learn to be able to fire an arrow without a Hinman, which is why I had you release him from his dormant state. You should learn to fight without your Hinman or you'll fall behind your brother," Kokushi scolded in his usual stern and unwavering tone. "Now, then, Your Majesty, you are a queen. You should know that it's never attractive to whine or pout your mouth like a little girl. I am not my brother, so I won't be going easy on you." He raised the thin wooden branch in his hand and slammed it hard on the table that the branch snapped in half.

Natsuki winced.

"Again!"

She looked at him, puffing her cheeks as she picked up the bow and arrow. She held the bow out completely, her left arm slightly bent as she held the wooden curve of the bow and her right arm pulling the arrow back on the string until she was at full draw. She at the target, her head resting on her shoulder as the target and the arrow lined up with her eyes. And she released it. The arrow flew swiftly through the air for just a few seconds and hit the center of the forehead, between the eyes of the tiger on the drape hanging on the wooden board.

"Yes!" she cheered.

"Again," Kokushi said, "just like that."

Now, she was hitting the target, one out of every three arrows she fired, but she was losing focus as the racket on the other side of the training grounds grew louder.

 _Thwack!_ Another arrow was added to the garden.

She missed again. Her brow furrowed angrily as her eyes trailed to the building that separated her from the noise. Natsuki put the bow down on the table and picked up her conical hat. She placed it on her head with the veil falling all around her head, all the way down to her waist. As she left the grounds, her retinue followed her out.

As she entered the soldier's training grounds, she saw a young woman with dark skin and pink in the army uniform standing and arguing with an older man with the same hair and skin color. They were yelling in front of the soldiers, who should've been training that morning. She watched them argue back and forth but still couldn't understand what was happening. But then she watched the old man raise his hand and smack the woman across the face. She stepped close on the concrete lawn, her retinue still following her, toward the middle of the grounds where the two were arguing.

"Why are you making such a racket in my palace?" Natsuki demanded.

Everyone in the Yard finally noticed her. "Your Majesty."

They all fell on their hands and knees prostrating before her, including the old man and the young woman. Natsuki walked in front of the young girl and the old man.

"Jin," Natsuki said.

A young man who was bowing on the floor raised his head to look at Natsuki. Hesitantly, he stood and approached Natsuki.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said.

"What is going on? Why is there a stranger in the army's training Yard?"

"Well, Your Majesty, this man said that he's her father and that she ran away from home and he's here to bring her back," Jin answered.

"That still doesn't answer my question," Natsuki said. "Random strangers are not allowed in my palace, no matter who they are." Natsuki turned away from them and began to walk out of the grounds. "Get rid of him."

"Please, wait, Your Majesty," said the old man. "I'm only here to get my daughter. If you allow her to come with me then I will leave without giving you any more trouble." The old man pleaded with his head still on the ground.

"I'm sorry but your family matters had nothing to do with me," Natsuki said.

"But, Your Majesty, if you'll only give her the order, she'll have to obey it," the old man said. "She's such a stubborn brat that she ran away from home for no reason."

Natsuki turned back toward the girl and the old man. "Raise your heads," she said. She crouched on the floor in front of them, with one knee on her floor and one arm on her other knee. She looked into the young woman bright pink eyes. "What is your name?"

"Sakura Han," the girl answered.

"This man is your father?"

"Yes."

"You ran away from home?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Natsuki turned to the old man. "How old is she?"

"Twenty-two, Your Majesty," the old man answered. "I am a merchant who sells silks and luxury clothing to the people of Zui Province. I arranged for her to marry one of my wealthy consumers because he has taken a liking to her but she ran away and he's no longer willing to buy our products. It is harming our business," the old man explained. "When I discovered that she was here, I immediately came to fetch her."

"She is an adult. She can do whatever she wants with her life now so long as she can provide for herself. That means she can decide whom she wishes to marry. You cannot simply force her to marry just because she is your daughter or simply because you want to get richer by trading her freedom away to another." Natsuki said harshly. "She doesn't really need you or a husband to secure her future."

"But, Your Majesty," the old man gasped.

"Your Majesty," Jin whispered close to Natsuki, "it is an unspoken rule that a woman may only leave her father's house if her father wills it. If her father is not present, her brother may allow her to leave only to be married."

"Is that a written law?" Natsuki asked.

"No…"

"Then that means nothing to me," Natsuki said. "But, tell me, Jin, is she a good soldier?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jin answered. "She is very strong physically and has good instincts and reflexes. A very gifted fighter."

"We need people like her in our developing army," Natsuki said. "Wouldn't it be a loss on my part if I let such a gifted person go just because her father wants to give her away for marriage?"

"But, Your Majesty, you cannot interfere with family matters," Jin said.

"But it is not simply a Han family matter anymore; Sakura has already registered as one of my soldiers," Natsuki said.

"But Your Majesty… she must return home," said Mr. Han.

"How about this?" Natsuki suggested, "if the head of my Shajin approves of her, she can stay, but if he disapproves of her, she can go back with you."

Then, a deep, loud voice barreled into the Yard. "And how will you get me to approve of her?"

Natsuki turned and smiled at Kokushi. "You're such a strict man, especially when you see potential. If she's as gifted as Jin said, I'm sure you'll want her close to nurture that potential."

"Alright," Kokushi said. "But, if she's weak, I'll do you a favor and throw her and her father down the mountain." He walked closer to them, his tall frame towering over everyone else in the Yard.

"As you wish." Natsuki turned to everyone else. "Get a chair for Mr. Han." Natsuki turned back to Mr. Han. "If she cannot get his approval, she'll go back home with you but if she does get his approval, you can go home and say that your daughter was personally approved by the queen and the head of the Daiboku to join her army. I'm sure that will get a lot of customers with a lot of questions." She turned away from the older man and leaned in and whispered to Shinue, "I need you to prepare the ink and paper and my seal on my desk. I also want you to prepare some casual clothes for me and tell Taiki to get ready. We're leaving for Kei today."

Shinue nodded and left the Yard with Natsuki. In no time, she arrived at her residence to change out of her training clothes.

She wore a pair of black flats on her loose bright violet pants and a long-sleeved shirt under a shorter, sleeveless beige dress that stopped at her mid-thighs, like a pleated skirt with a violet silk sash.

She sheathed her sword and placed it in a long black sword bag and stepped it to her back. When she left the residence and stepped on the marble floor outside, Taiki was waiting for her.

He stood there holding a fan of his hand with half of his long black hair tied up in a small silver crown with a pin through the bun. He wore a silk gray hanfu dress all the of his white underclothes tied at the waist with a gray sash. He wore a silk long white and blue coat that trailed down to his ankles along with the hem of his clothes with his black shoes on his feet.

Natsuki came and stood next to him. She looked at him up and down and then looked into his eyes.

"You look handsome, Kouri," she complimented. She looked up at the sky. "It's much colder here in Spring than in the other kingdoms or even in Japan." She stomped her feet. "Ah… but I really want to go on a cruise," she whined.

Taiki chuckled. "Your Majesty, we must hurry so we cannot take a boat to Kei, and I don't think we have the kind of cruise you're thinking of."

"Fine, let's go," Natsuki said, walking ahead of Taiki as they headed towards The Yard.

When she arrived, everything that happened in the past hour had already been settled and the soldiers had gone back to practice. She looked around for the pink-haired girl but didn't see any sign of her. She immediately assumed she had gone back with her father because Kokushi did not approve of her. She shrugged. "Too bad. I really liked her," Natsuki said to herself. "But I guess she'll be back soon enough since I already sent the decree to the Daishikou."

"And what did you put in this decree, Your Highness?"

Natsuki turned when she heard Kokushi's voice. She was met with the surprise of Jin and Sakura following behind him as they came out of the building.

Jin and Sakura dropped to their knees and were about to prostrate when Natsuki stopped them by saying, "No need. Rise," all while looking at Kokushi.

"She's good?" she said as her eyes trailed to Sakura.

"Yes, she had talent which is why I've decided to take her under my wing to train her," Kokushi said. "If that's alright with you."

"No, go ahead. Do whatever you want." Natsuki looked behind him at Sakura in full uniform, standing with her feet together and her hands behind her back. She sort of reminded her of American soldiers on television. She turned back to Kokushi. "You didn't tell Hakushi, did you?" Natsuki asked.

"No. He knows that you're going to Kei but he doesn't know that it's today. He'd probably drop everything and rush to your side to protect you," Kokushi replied.

"He spoils me too much and he's a too overprotective."

"There's nothing wrong with him being overprotective of his queen but I do agree that he spoils you too much," Kokushi added. "But you like being spoiled by him."

Natsuki smirked. "I knew you'd be able to tell, but as much as I love Haku being by my side, I want Sakura and Jin to accompany me to Kei."

"Your Highness?" Jin said.

"Go and change into something more casual and bring whatever weapons you think are necessary for you to act as my and Taiki's bodyguards."

Though they were faster than a boat, it still took a little over two hours to reach En's outer border, after they passed the sea between the two kingdoms and they slowly headed South towards Kei's capital city, which also took another two hours. It was soon after that Shouryuu and Enki arrived.

Yoko treated them to dinner and had them escorted to their quarters to rest for the next day. She treated them to the finest clothes to sleep in and wear for when morning arrived.

Natsuki, Taiki, Shouryuu, and Enki met Yoko and Keiki for breakfast at the dining room in the main hall in the royal palace. The room was completely made of wooden oak devoid of any windows to the outside world. There were four doors, one on each side of the windows. Multiple bases of flowers decorated the room, with many paintings of such flowers hanging on the walls. After the kitchen servants served the food, they were dismissed that only the rulers and the Kirin remained seated at the table, eating in silence. Yoko sat at the head of the table with Keiki sitting on her left side next to Taiki and Natsuki while Shouryuu and Enki sat across the table on the right.

Slowly, a dense atmosphere spread between them as they ate, knowing full well that they didn't just come to the Kei just to have a good meal and small talk. Something was going on, which seems to pose some sort of threat that Yoko would call her closest allies to share the news.

Yoko caught everyone's attention when they looked at her and saw most of her food was still on her many plates. The miso soup was untouched with the beef dumplings and sardine remained half-eaten. She only ate most of the rice before she put down her spoon.

Shouryuu also placed his spoon down on the table. "Yoko," he said softly.

Yoko gasped and lifted her head up, responding with a soft, "Hm?"

Natsuki also raised her head to address them.

"What's wrong? You seem so distracted. Is there a problem that you called us here?" Shouryuu continued.

Yoko looked around the room at the people at the table. Yoko sighed heavily. "Yes," she said. "The sword Suigu showed me a vision of the future and it has been showing me the same vision for days. I can't even sleep."

"Well, what was the vision about?" Natsuki asked.

"The visions are of a horrifying future. Somehow, the other world and this world become connected for a longer period of time which caused the armies of the other world to wage war with the kingdoms. With their weapons like their machine guns, fighter jets, and missiles, our armies never stood a chance and were easily defeated," Yoko explained. "The visions get more intense every time and it's almost like I'm walking on a mountain of bodies and I can't do anything to change it." Shouryuu and Natsuki exchanged a few quick glances as they watched Yoko. It was obvious to them that she was in shock from the visions from the way her body trembled as she retold the story.

Though unbelievable, Natsuki knew the kind of damage moderns weapons can do. Going to war with the other world and their weapons would be like sentencing the entire world to suicide because there's no way the kingdoms' weapons could stand against the other nations of Earth.

"I actually had a similar dream after before I became the Queen of Tai." The others in the room raised their heads to look at her. "It only happened that one time so I thought it was just my fears of becoming queen manifesting in that nightmare. Since Yoko is also seeing the same, we should take it more seriously." She looked at Yoko. "You need to learn to control Suigu. You explained the sword's power to me but you've been queen for 4 years so you need to learn to control it. We should start with that first."

Shouryuu nodded. "I agree."

"As do I," Keiki added.

They left the dining hall and went to Yoko's residence. Yoko sat on the floor of the room, her legs crossed under her as she held the sword in her open palms with her eyes closed. The sword began to glow.

"Okay, I'm ready," said Yoko.

"Now do whatever you feel is right," Natsuki said. "Feel the power of the sword and open your mind to draw yourself into the visions. When you're there, narrate to us everything you see."

"I see, Mount Hou. I see the Nyousen surrounded by soldiers at gunpoint and the soldiers are asking for information on this world. I also see Lady Gyokuyo."

"Yoko I want you to look at the right shoulder of the soldiers. What flag do you see?" Natsuki asked.

Yoko shook her head. "I see red and blue. I can't make out the flag clearly."

"But what do the soldiers look like? What race are they? Are they all wearing the same uniforms?"

"Yeah, they're wearing the same uniforms. I see some Caucasian, some Asian and some have dark skin… wait the scene changed."

"Where are you now?" Natsuki asked.

"I'm not sure. But I'm standing in an alley in the street." Then Yoko suddenly gasped. "He snapped a government worker's neck and took his clothes."

Shouryuu - and most people in the room - had no idea what was going on in Yoko's mind but Natsuki seems to have been paying attention and taking notes on Yoko's visions.

She must know something they can't understand.

"Now he's in a throne room. Wait… I hear thunder. There's a giant hole in the sky. Helicopters and fighter planes are coming out and it's like it's raining bullets." Yoko screamed. "No!" she shrieked. "Everyone is dying." She gasped, "One of them saw me. He's gonna kill me. He's holding a gun to my head."

As Yoko screamed, Natsuki was shaking her body, trying to get her to come back to reality. "Yoko, stop. You're not really there, he can't hurt you. It's just an illusion."

"No! Save me!"

Natsuki stood up in front of Yoko. "Yoko!" She called as she slapped Yoko's face forcefully with the back of her hand, snapping Yoko out of her own the vision.

The room was silent.

Yoko looked up at her as the sword stopped glowing. Natsuki looked down at Yoko and sighed. She passed her hands on Yoko's hair and forehead, trying to soothe her while wiping away the sweat from her brow. Natsuki touched her own forehead like she suddenly got a headache as she slowly sat back down in front of Yoko on the floor. She took both of Yoko's hands and held them tightly.

"Although we may not be able to get sick physically, mental illness is another matter," Natsuki said. "Sorry I hit you but if you'd stayed in the illusion of the sword for too long, it would, literally, have broken your mind." Natsuki helped Yoko up and walked her over to the table, where they all sat together.

Shouryuu sat with them at the table and everyone in the room gathered around them, including the three Taiho, Sonshou and Suzu, and Jin and Sakura.

"So, what happened?" Shouryuu asked.

Natsuki looked at everyone in the room and sighed. She moved her hair off her face and looked up. "What I'm about to say must not leave this room. We can't be too alarmed yet," she said. "I'll start from 500 years ago." She looked at Shouryuu. "Since you've been in this world, the world we're from has changed immensely. People don't use swords and arrows anymore, they use long-range weapons called guns with a projectile called a bullet that uses a small explosion to send it flying at exceptional speeds to hit a target is hundreds of meters away. People can survive getting shot by an arrow from over a hundred meters, because it doesn't penetrate too deeply, but a bullet can penetrate through the skin and through the entire body. They've made weapons of mass destruction that can completely annihilate entire towns and countries, killing millions of people at once." Natsuki placed the paper she was taking notes on on the table. "The world has become more unified and there are fewer wars but the armies are more powerful than ever. From Yoko's vision, the people she sees could be any number of countries but it seems to be more likely to be America or some Western European countries based on the color of the flag and description of the soldiers."

"But why do you say we shouldn't be too alarmed?" Suzu asked.

"Yes, we should warn the other countries of this and gather forces to defend ourselves," Yoko said.

"Not yet. Yoko said he saw someone kill and take the person's clothes," Natsuki explained. "That means they won't attack yet. They're sending spies here to gather information. They're called sleeper agents. Their job is to blend into our society and gather information. They won't move unless they're ordered to. It must be because they either want to gather as much information as possible or they haven't developed the technology to send an entire army across. If it is the latter, then we have plenty of time to prepare and find a way to bring all the Twelve Kingdoms together into one allied force. Even the former can be to our advantage because spies sometimes tend to make mistakes. When they do, we'll be ready to apprehend them."

Natsuki placed her elbows on the table and held her head in her hand. She sighed once more.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Taiki asked as he softly touched her shoulder.

"Shocked. I'm sure I'm not as shocked as Yoko is but I need a walk. My heads about to explode." She got off the chair and moved away from the table and left the room.

Natsuki spent the rest of the day in her room, sat by her window, watching the sun slowly descending from the sky, leaving a bright orange hue in the sky. She noticed Yoko, sitting with a depressed and dejected look on her face. It was understandable due to the shock she received from the sword Suigu. Even though Natsuki, herself was not the one who saw the vision, she could understand how heavy and damaging it must have been to see the world understood, but unlike her, who could always talk to her brother and the other friends she made in the palace, Yoko did not feel the same way.

No one in Kinpa palace would be able to understand, even if Yoko wanted to talk to them. As she looked at Yoko, an idea sprang to mind. She walked out of the room quickly, taking her sword with her.

As she walked down the stairs, she saw Shouryuu standing at the door, with his sword in hand and some casual clothes.

"It seems we're thinking the same thing," Shouryuu said.

She simply nodded. She walked passed him and he followed her. "Yoko, come on," Natsuki said. "We're going out. Gio change before the Kirin notice anything." Natsuki touched her shoulder. "You need to clear your mind because everything is going to be okay. There's no need to worry about an uncertain future."

As Yoko looked at them, smiling at her, a warm feeling filled her as the idea of the end of the world in her mind went up in smoke. It had been a long time since she left Kinpa palace, and a night like tonight would be perfect. And she wouldn't have to worry about Keiki complaining since she wouldn't be going out alone.

"Okay," Yoko replied. She changed into her casual clothes and left with her sword in hand, walking with Natsuki and Shouryuu.

 **Okay. That's the end of that.**

 **Next time: war is on its way.**

 **Thank you :)**

 **Don't forget to R &R**


	19. Arc 3: Chapters 17-24

**Arc 3: The sky parts between two worlds, war rages on the land**

Man, it is so hard to come up with titles like this. I don't know how Fuyumi Ono did it.

A war is coming between two worlds that are colliding due to a misunderstanding. Who will be victorious?

There will be a bunch of new characters that will be introduced in the first few chapters of the arc since it's an 8-year time skip.

Look forward to it.

~Reina

Edit: Sorry, I think there was something wrong with the website's program


	20. Chapter 17: 8 Years Later

**I'm back. I'm sorry this took so long. It was difficult to write this chapter because I wanted to introduce so many new characters and other things but I didn't want it to feel like I was just throwing too much in at the same time. I tried my best to give the important things a little explanation so they don't feel forced or confusing. Thanks for staying and for supporting me all this time.**

 **The concept and everything else belongs to Fuyumi Ono, whom I am a big fan of. All credit goes to her. I own nothing.**

 **Chapter 17: 8 years later...**

The lamps along the sides of the street burned brightly, illuminating the streets for the festival. As the people walked by, the light reflected nicely with their bright colors of red, orange, and yellow for the festival, with masks painted on their faces with glittering decorations.

After settling down in his room, up the wooden staircase, in the small inn at the edge of the city, he made his way back down to the inn's main hall. He paused and looked around at all the people who were in the space, eating and socializing, as classical music from the live band playing in the background. As he looked around, he noticed that many of the people around were wearing all types of different clothes that were traditional to several other kingdoms. The majority looked like they were from En and Kei while few came from the kingdoms farther to the West like Kyou, Ryu, and even Ren. Even the Tai natives who were in the hall were either people who lived there, in the capital, and were working or those from other provinces who came to visit for the Open Summer Festival.

It was five years ago that their beloved queen decreed that for the start of every season would be a national holiday to celebrate the upcoming season and the beauty it brings with it. Fall celebrated the harvest. Winter celebrated the beauty of the snow. Spring celebrated the new life that would grow. Summer celebrated the beauty of nature.

During the weeks before the upcoming festival, she created multiple branches under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites -or Shunkan- with the responsibility of registering every major event for the festival in every province. They were in charge of deciding the themes and preparing decorations for the festival on a tight budget.

The festivals became so famous that it attracted a lot of tourists and envoys from other kingdoms. When they came, they would spend a lot of money buying souvenirs that would only be found in Tai.

The festival became a great way for the many civilians to sell their crafts and products to make a little extra money, which also led to the development of Tai. From the tax money and they received from the festival, Tai's economy increased exponential from when Natsuki ascended to the throne.

He took in his surroundings, from the woman playing the zither on a stage to the male and female servers that were all over the inn serving the food and drinks to the full tables and the people standing around the hall. He searched for a seat but all the table were occupied.

One of the employees at the restaurant came to him bowed slightly. "I'm so sorry sir, but we're unable to find you a seat. Due to the festival, so many people are coming in and we're running out of space. It's never been like this before."

"It's okay, please don't trouble yourself. I'll wait," he said.

"Hey, handsome young man."

He looked up from the waitress to see a middle aged man with rough features waving at him. He was sitting at a small table with three other men. The table was so small, that it could barely seat the four of them.

He looked around him to make sure there was no one else before he walked forward toward the older men. "You called me?"

"Yeah. There's no need for you to wait for a table," said the man. "Sit with us. Hey, look around you. Everyone is from everywhere and they're just all sitting together." She looked at at the small space they made by shifting their chairs toward each other.

"Well, then, I'll take you up on that offer," he said. From a corner, he took an empty wooden crate, turned it over, and turned it into a seat around the table.

"The name's Gou. I'm from here, in the capital province. That's Son, a merchant from Ryuu; Sai from Kei; and Gon from En," he said introducing the other men with him one by one. "We all just met here today." He looked at the young man sitting at the end of the table in front of him. "What's your name and what kingdom you from?"

"Oh, I'm Kouran Rou. I'm not from any of the neighboring Kingdoms. I'm from the northern province of Bun and I've come here for work. I decided to come a week early for the festival," he said.

"So, what kind of work are you gonna do? Government? Commercial? Military?"

"Oh, nothing so ambitious," he said. "I'm just a jack-of-all-trades who can use a sword."

"Oh, I see," said Gou. "Hey, I wonder if you can help us settle our argument."

"Argument?"

"Hum," said Gou, "what do you think of our young queen?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that; I've never met her," he replied.

"No, no," said Gou. "We don't expect you to have met her. But based on what the public knows of her and her policies, what do you think of her as a ruler?"

Kouran thought for a moment. "Everyone loves her, where I'm from, in Bun Province. Thanks to her creating an alliance with King En, we get a lot of seeds that can grow in dry and cold places and harvest good produce. And thanks to Prince Souun creating those plans for the storage units, we have plenty of food to last us the entirety of the long winter months. So I'd say she's a very intelligent woman who cares for the people. She also has a good eye for finding skilled and loyal officials."

"Yeah," said Gou. "It seems like the queen is prioritizing trade among the Twelve Kingdoms and especially the kingdoms near us, here, in the East."

"Even though she's young and fairly new to the Twelve Kingdoms, she's already allied herself with Kei and En," said Sai. "The Taika rulers are uniting and bringing a lot of new changes and experiences to the kingdoms."

"The Daigakou in En has a new course called Other World Studies to study Kaikyaku languages and culture. The king has built a new museum that only displays Kaikyaku and Sankyaku artifacts from Hourai," said Gon. He leaned into the table more to whisper to the men. "I've seen it. In a special exhibit, the clothes King En, Queen Kei, and Queen Tai were wearing when they first arrived in this world were displayed. Only important people from the government and Daigakou professors can access the exhibit. While I was assisting a professor, he took me to the special exhibit to study them." He stood up to show them what the dress looked like. "The dress Queen Tai wore was a plum colored dress with a lot of ruffles. It only had one short shoulder that went over her chest and was really short."

The men, except Kouran, all gasped and smiled. "Oh, how I'd love to see a woman in that," said Sai as he whistled.

"But, you're a scholar?" asked Kouran.

"Yes," Gon answered. "I'm only here to see how the festival has been incorporated into Tai culture as part of an assignment I have for my class."

"This country has gotten much more beautiful than it used to be 10 years ago," said Kouran. "We also had our first election of governors 5 years ago."

"Speaking of officials, it seems that Prince Souun returned last week," said Gou. "I hear the Queen had the Juniken escort him to the palace as part of a grand parade in the sky with the kingdom's Air Cavalry."

"The Juniken?" Sai asked loudly. "You mean the queen's personal bodyguards who are called the Twelve Swords? Have you ever seen them?"

"No, but I hear General Risai is a member as well as other excellent warriors," said Gou. "Many people believe that the prince and the queen are also members of the Twelve Swords."

"The queen?"

They turned around when they heard some people speak behind them. They looked to see a tall man standing behind them with a short young woman standing next to him. The two new faces stood out in the inn, not just due to their navy blue hair and dark skin, but because it looked like they came out of nowhere.

The young woman looked that them and scoffed. "If you ask me, the queen is spoiled by her Shajin and likes to find people to do her work for her," said the girl. The men at the table looked at her, baffled about what she just said.

"Ran, shh," the taller man hushed her. "Let's go." He walked ahead and she followed him out of the inn's dining hall.

"Raien," she called after him. She caught up to him out of the inn as they turned the corner into an alley. "What's with you? You know I'm right," she said. "We both know what she's like."

"Yes, but although she considers us to be friends, she is still our queen and master," said the tall man. "I personally would describe the queen as a very strong willed woman with an infectious personality."

They walked to an empty square behind several buildings, where several of their men and their Youjyuu were waiting for them.

"Whatever," she said.

"Lord Raien, Lady Rangyoku, we're here to escort you to Hakkei Palace," said one of the men as he bent his head bowing to the two of them. "The queen sent a message for you. She said: ' _Welcome home. Since you've just returned, you don't have to worry about reporting your findings to me immediately. Relax and enjoy the festival. You can report to the officials and me in our next morning court. I missed you two and I'm glad you're back. I'll be waiting for you in the Hall of Swords_.' "

"She never wastes any time, does she?" Ran said, as a small smile formed on her lips, as Natsuki's face flashed in her mind.

Ran looked at her brother and walked to the two griffin-like Youjyuu with the saddles on their backs. The animals screeched and spread out their large wings to welcome their two masters.

"Alright, alright," Ran said. She took the large lion paws of the animal petting it with one hand while using the other hand to trace under the beak of the Youjyuu, softly ruffling its white feathers. "Let's go home together, then," she said to the animal.

She looked at Raien, who nodded to her and looked back at the soldiers. She mounted her Youjyuu with one swift swing of her legs. With a strong roar from the animals, they took to the sky in the direction of the mountain in the middle of the city. As they flew through the sky, they looked down at the brightly lit city below them. The lights danced like fireflies, illuminating every street in the dark. With the stars above them and the lights below them, it was a spectacle that allowed them to see the tall mountain ahead, with red lanterns causing it to shine like a candle burning red.

They reached and mountain and the Youjyuu vertically flew up to the very top. They arrived at the palace stables, leaving the youjyuu with the keepers before they made their way to the Hall of Swords -home of the Twelve Swords, the Juniken.

The Twelve Swords -or Juniken- were the Queen's Shajin, her royal guard. They were called the Twelve Swords because they were the Queen's guards as well as her weapons, forged to serve and protect her. As her Shajin, there was nothing they wouldn't do for their master and ruler.

The hall was located up high on Mt. Kouki and was the nearest building to the Taiho's and the Queen's residences. The building was chosen for convenience in case anything were to happen to the queen or the Taiho. they could easily make their way to the quarters and defend them in any way possible.

Even the hall itself had its own personal guards to protect the queen's guards.

As Ran and Raien made their way up the stairs to the main hall, the two guards on the steps, each holding a spear in their hand with another two guards at the doors. The guards brought their feet together and lowered their heads in a curt bow to Ran and Raien. The moment the two passed, the guards returned to their resting position, with their feet apart and their heads raised.

Ran and Raien reached the top of the stairs in front of the large double doors. Automatically, the doors opened, due to the enchantment that sensed the enchantments on the Shajin's weapons. They walked into the long hallway, with large white pillars reaching all the way up to the ceiling, their steps echoing on the white marble floors.

They looked around. The place was empty and silent that they could hear the wind whisper through the closing doors.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite pair of sibling assassins." The voice echoed through the empty hallway.

Raien and Ran looked up at the top of the stairs on the second floor and saw another member of the Twelve sitting on the railing of the stairs. He had short blond hair and sharp green eyes looking down at them in his casual clothing.

"Shouran, where is Natsuki?" Ran called. She was the only one who called Natsuki by her full name. She never called her Natsu and only called her _Your Majesty_ unless they were in public.

He looked down at Raien and Ran down below. "She came in a few hours ago after working all night last night and fell asleep in the common room so her favorite white lion took her to bed," Shouran answered. His voice echoed from the top of the stairs. He let go of the railing and fell down to the first floor in front of Ran and Raien. He landed gracefully, with his arms out and his clothes fluttering behind him. He brought his arms down to the side and stood in front of the two siblings. "Should we join the others?" he said. "The twins and Risai are already here. Shinue in waiting for Natsu to wake up. Shuuei was here but I'm not sure where he went." He looked down at Ran. "Sakura was here but I had her go find Senya and your boyfriend."

Ran's ears perked as her expression softened. "Souun is not here yet?" she asked.

"That's why I had Sakura go get him. He's also been working nonstop since his return." He leaned down toward Ran with the same cocky smirk on his face. "I'm sure now that you're back, you'll be able to help him… _relax_ a bit more."

He saw the small blush rising to her ears and her wide, angry eyes. He, immediately, moved back from her range as she struck out with her fist.

"Your mind is as lewd as always and your mouth is still an open trap. Don't make me cut out your tongue for you." Ran threatened. Her dark skin quickly hid the blush as if it was never there.

"Oh, I'm so scared," Shouran mocked as he ran behind Raien. "Rangyoku, did you think after you were gone a few months that it would change?"

"You, don't ever call me by my full name." She followed him, turning their little argument into a chase around Raien.

"Alright, that's enough," said Raien.

Shouran walked away, passed the stairs, as he said, "I'll see you later."

"I'm going, too," said Raien. He walked away from his sister, letting his feet fall into a short jog, his metal belt and swords jingling as he ran to catch up with his good friend.

Ran finally calmed herself as she waited in the middle of the foyer. She paced as she couldn't keep her excitement after missing him for so long

"Ran!"

She almost jumped when she heard him. Time slowed as turned around to see Souun. Ran couldn't see Senya and Sakura following close behind him as she was only smiling brightly at Souun as he quickly made his way to her.

He stood right in front of her, his smile never fading.

She smiled back at him. Her heart beat fast and her eyes gleamed at the sight of him.

He quickly pulled her into a hug, keeping her small body wrapped tightly in his arms.

She closed her eyes falling comfortably into his embrace as she felt the presence of the other two fade from the room.

He released her. He looked at her, taking her chin in his hand, forcing her golden eyes to meet his. His eyes trailed down her lips, looking more appetizing as the silent moments between them passed. He placed his lips on hers, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her up close to him.

Ran -being significantly shorter than him- placed her toes on top of his feet, reaching up to kiss him with her arms around his neck. They pecked each other's lips slowly as they finally stopped kissing while still holding each other close.

"I missed you so much," said Souun.

"I missed you, too, Souun," Ran responded.

"Will you never call me by my birth name: Aki?"

"I will, but I like Souun better," Ran responded softly. "It sounds more noble and… princely."

"Princely?" Souun repeated. They laughed softly as he took Ran's smaller hand in his as they walked past the stairs, out of the foyer.

The loud yawn and the ruffling of the sheets already told Shinue that she had just awakened.

"Your Majesty, I have your clothes ready for the evening," Shinue said.

Natsuki rolled over on the bed, still wearing the formal outfit she wore to work that day. The ruffles and layers of the heavy dress had hiked up her legs under the silk bed sheets. She looked up at Shinue and breathed in, nodding her head slightly.

"Okay," she said. She took off the red silk sheets and began undressing by undoing the dash at her waist.

"Your Majesty, please wait," Shinue said abruptly as she held Natsuki there, forcing her clothes back over her shoulders.

Natsuki turned to see one of the Twelve sitting in a chair across her bed, a smirk loosely forming on his lips.

"Please don't mind me," he said. "Continue."

Natsuki blushed lightly. "Shuuei, only you would have the audacity to invade my chambers as I am changing." She looked at the small table at the head of the bed where her sword laid in its sheath. She looked at the sword… then at him. She shrugged and thought not to bother with him.

"What are you talking about? I was here before you started changing," he replied. He stood up and walked toward the door. "But if you really want privacy, then I'll obey." Before he walked through the door, he turned around and bowed like a gentleman. "My queen," he said before turning around to leave.

Natsuki sighed. She looked up at Shinue as she continued to help her undress. "Is it only my royal court that's like this?"

"Well, you did insist on having dangerous people with enchanted weapons, extraordinary abilities, and diverse personalities as your personal bodyguards," Shinue answered. Shinue brought the white dress over and placed it carefully on the bed. "If you want to complain, then you can write yourself a note… later. Right now, we're a little late in meeting the foreign representatives and envoys."

Natsuki went to the large bath in the basement of the building to freshen up. She took a short warm bath then went back to the room. She sat in front of a mirror in her bathrobe as Shinue applied some light makeup to her face. She applied very light blush to the cheeks that blended with Natsuki's olive skin and the pink lipstick that coated her full lips. Shinue combed Natsuki's eyebrows and lashes with a thick brush, applying a little bit of white powder to define the white color of the small hairs.

Once the makeup was natural and her hair was simply flat on her back, with a simple silver winged headdress. Natsuki placed her shoes on first, which were a white pair of cloth wedge-heels. She then wore a glittering white strapless dress that went all the way to her feet. Above the dress, she wore white silk coat with a sheer layer that fell down like a tail behind her. The coat was placed off her shoulders, revealing the olive skin, and was tied at her waist by a white sash with silver embroideries. Her neck was dressed in a pure diamond-studded choker. She held the feathered fan in her hand and smiled as she waved the fan across her face.

She gracefully walked out the door of the bedroom and navigated the hallways and the stairs with Shinue close behind her.

All their conversations disappeared and silence filled the room as they turned when Natsuki came down the stairs.

"My, my, such a beautiful queen," said Shuuei. He got up from his seat on the couch in the room and walked to Natsuki standing on the step with Shinue behind her.

Shinue fixed the tail of Natsuki's robe, straightening it on the floor behind her.

"You know, I'm sure the entire kingdom… no, the entire world is envious of you. Women covet your beauty, while men dread the fact that they can't have you," Shuuei said. He offered his hand to Natsuki.

Natsuki took his hand with her free hand and walked the final step down. The rest of them stood up.

"This way, my queen," said Shuuei as he led Natsuki toward the door. The others followed tout suite.

The officials and the representatives of several kingdoms stood in the main plaza, under the stairs facing the Hall of Kings, heavily guarded by the army of Tai. However, shortly after a few moments, several servants came running in the middle of the plaza setting up dozens of tables along the perimeter of the square, leaving the center empty, where the red carpet created a path to the base of the steps. They set up a table that closest to the stairs to complete the square at the head, which is where Natsuki. Once the tables were set, the servants brought over food and drink and several name cards that were placed on the tables to direct the people where to sit.

The long table under the stairs was for the queen and her Twelve Swords. The area was set up so that the Heads of the Six Ministries of Tai sat closes to the queen along with the representatives of the other kingdoms together at one table. Many governors and officials and their families were invited and seated closest to the representatives according to their rank.

After everyone was seated and the servants moved away, the chatter died down.

Near the table where the queen's seat, on either side of the table, a pair of men beat on the drums as a horn sounded on the opposite side of the square. Everyone fell silent.

"Her Majesty, Queen Tai, arrives!" a voice announced loudly.

The people moved away from the seats and fell on their hands and knees, their foreheads close to the ground.

Every step she took was slow and dignified as she held the white feathered fan in her right hand to her lips, leaving only her sharp eyes visible. She walked down on the red carpet to her table with the tail of her white dress trailing behind her like a wedding dress. Her retinue -her shajin, the Twelve Swords- followed behind her on either side of the tail of the dress. Their steps matched each of hers in the distance.

As they reached the table, the Twelve Swords stopped and bowed only in a kneeling position. They waited for her and Taiki to reach their seats at the table. As if rehearsed to perfection, they lowered themselves on one knee, with a hand at their waist, as if holding a sword at their side and the other on their torso as they bent their heads low. "Greetings Your Majesty. Greetings Taiho."

Everyone else in the space repeated, "Greetings Your Majesty! Greetings Taiho!"

Natsuki turned and looked at the people bowing down before her. "Rise," she said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" said the rest of the people.

Everyone rose and stood back before their seats, but they did not sit down.

The Shajin filed into their places around the Plaza at the ends, in a formation create to protect the entire space in case of an attack.

Taiki stood behind her.

Sooun (Aki) had a designated table closest to the front table where the queen and the Taiho sat.

"Everyone, thank you all for coming, but, whoo, is it hot out here." The party guests laughed as she fanned herself with the feather fan in her hand. Natsuki chuckled as well. "Welcome to the Summer Festival. It wasn't that long ago that I started this festival and, over the years, it has become a cultural phenomenon. I can prove that with all of you here. Every one of the Twelve Kingdoms is represented here from the Kingdom of Hou to our close friends in En and Kei. It is a sight to behold with all of you here, gracing me with your presence." She smiled at them as she looked around the room. "But, that's enough from me. For Tentei's sakes, I sound so boring." The guests laughed out loud once more. She lifted her cup of wine from the table and raised it up above her head. "So, without further ado, let's eat, let's drink, and let's enjoy ourselves tonight. Welcome, all, to the Kingdom of Tai." She drank from her cup and everyone followed, drinking after her.

As the night went on, many of the representatives from the different countries came forth to toast to the Queen. They gave her gifts sent from their different rulers. Natsuki thanked them sincerely and welcomed them to Tai. Later, the performance troupe she had hired for the celebration came forth and performed a play of how the Twelve Kingdoms were created all the way to present day history of the Tai rulers since then. When the performance was over, the party came to an end, a few hours before dawn, after the queen gave a toast to the Daisouhaku for a job well done in arranging the festival and inviting the other nations.

Throughout the night, the plaza was filled with her laughter and her heartfelt smiles.

All who were present that day felt content and grateful to be in her presence. They were attracted to her in more ways than one and her enthusiasm and her voice was like that of a siren who drew sailors to their deaths.

She always had that effect on all those around her, not just because she was so beautiful but, also, because she had an aura that made them curious about her. All who knew her wanted to be near her to learn more from her as well as more about her.

However, her voice was, indeed, a voice that would lead men to their deaths.

 **Oh, finally. I'm done with the chapter.**

 **Thank you so much, everyone, for your support. I'll try to get the next chapter in soon.**

 **Don't forget to comment because I really do like getting feedback on my work. If there's anything you don't understand, please send me a message in my inbox.**

 **Thanks again**

 **Bye, for now. ;)**


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